


End of One World

by esama



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 23:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 88,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1530353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esama/pseuds/esama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With his fire cold and all he left behind in ruin, Sasuke gives up his life and trusts in his brother's word.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ruins of Pride

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net around 2010  
> Proofread by Darlene and Wynne

Sasuke remembered a time when he hadn't been so blind to this sort of thing. A time when seeing something like this would've made his eyes widen and his breath catch in his throat. A time when he had been innocent enough to feel horror because of something like this. It felt like it had been ages ago and in a way he wanted that Sasuke back, that innocent little boy who hadn't really known anything. On the other hand, he was glad of his utter and complete lack of ability to comprehend any of this on an emotional level. He was positive he would've burst out into bitter tears if he had been able to.

Not that it would've helped any. The Leaf was in ruin and everyone was dead. His lack of emotions or some tears he wasn't even able to shed would not change that.

It was still a nauseating sight. He walked past the place where the ninja academy had been and tried to wonder how many kids had died before the building had turned into nothing but a crater in the ground. The ramen stand where Naruto used to eat his favourite food was now just ashes and burned wood. The old man and the girl who had kept it, had they been evacuated in time or had they died in the blazing flames which had devoured most of the once prosperous village? He didn't know and didn't really care, either. The shop where he had bought his ninja tools when he had been nine – an enormous order after which he had never again bought tools in the Leaf – was now a pile of burned wood. The apartment building where Naruto had lived was nothing but long since cooled embers.

Sasuke hadn't been there to see the Hidden Leaf burn, he had only heard about it later, but he could imagine it. He had seen another villages fall to destruction in exactly the same way and by exactly the same creature, so it wasn't hard to conjure mental images of it. Feet made of lava, crushing and burning everything they stepped on. Hands of fire and wind, breath of toxic gas and hell flames, breathing balls of fire down on the village. For a thing literally incarnate of all five elements, it certainly favoured fire.

There were no bodies here, Sasuke realised after a while. But then again, why would there be? It wasn't like anyone had buried or burned them, though. These people hadn't gotten the luxury of burial. No, they had all been eaten by the hell beast, the glorious Akatsuki creation they hadn't been able to control. All the people had been eaten by the demon and then the demon had moved on, headed for the nearest concentration of human lives to destroy and devour.

 _I hope you're happy in hell, father. Your creation was far greater than you ever anticipated,_ the man thought without feeling bitter or even angry. Orochimaru had certainly done what he had been paid for in those three years Sasuke had learned from the snake Sannin. Since then Sasuke hadn't really been able to find any emotions in himself. Not that he had even tried all that hard, though. Back then he’d thought that emotions were a weakness. Now he would've given all he had -- which wasn't really much -- to have them back.

Finally he came to the HokageTower, or what was left of it anyway. It hadn't been destroyed by a blow but it had certainly burned. It had probably been the highest flame in the entire village. Now there were only half fallen walls and a sea of cool charcoal left of the Leaf's greatest pride. And beyond it, on the other side of the ashes was the HokageMountain. The beast hadn't even touched it and now it was a sign of how useless it was to cling to past glory. The mountainside had been saved from devastation, but it hadn't helped the people at all. The stony faces of the five Hokages had just stared lifelessly down at their village as it had burned to ground.

Somewhere in the back of Sasuke's mind, the nearly innocent voice of a boy murmured that there was a head missing from the mountain. "You never made it there, did you… Naruto?" he muttered aloud and for a moment wondered where the dead-last's body was. Probably in the beast's belly. It wouldn't surprise him at all if Naruto had been the first thing that demon had devoured -- just before it had devoured all of Akatsuki.

Turning back to the ruin of the HokageTower, the former student of the snake Sannin narrowed his eyes. Before his death, Itachi had told him that there was a chamber underneath the tower, containing the Last Art, an object created by the Third Hokage sometime after the Fourth's death. It had never been used and its existence had never been confirmed, but Itachi had been positive that it existed. While his hands flashed into a series of seals, Sasuke wondered when he had begun to trust his brother's word in such a manner. While his jutsu blasted through the ruins and blew away the charcoal and ashes, he realised that he had never stopped trusting. Even as a heartless murderer, Itachi had never lied to him. Misled him, yes, but not lied. Sasuke had been so completely capable of lying to himself that Itachi had never needed to.

Walking through the now somewhat cleaner foundations of former glory, Sasuke looked for an entrance to the chambers underneath. If it had been hidden underneath a wooden trapdoor like his brother had said, then the door should've been burned in the fires and the way should be open. After ten minutes of searching, he finally found the way, surprisingly near the spot where the entrance to the tower had been. A staircase led down into darkness. He didn't hesitate, just kicked the pieces of burned wood out of way and began his descent. It was ironic how his last hope was in a place that was a near metaphor of his journey here. Deep in the darkness.

How futile it had been in the end. Once he’d learned the truth behind almost everything that had taken place since the Uchiha Massacre and most importantly the reason behind the massacre itself… everything had seemed to change. Shift. In the end he hadn't killed his brother out of hate or anger; he had killed Itachi out of mercy. And before his final breath, Itachi had thanked him for it. If Sasuke still had been able to, he was positive he would've cried then… but it had already been too late. For all of them.

Now it in a way disgusted him, the way he had used Leaf-nin as distraction so that he could fight his brother alone. While he had sought his failing revenge on Itachi, Naruto, Sakura and gods know who else went against the rest of the Akatsuki. Many of them had died. Naruto had been captured. While Sasuke had been talking with his brother, Naruto had been sacrificed and the Nine Tails inside the blond had been extracted. He had been the last demon host and so in that moment all nine demons had been brought together. And there the world's end had begun.

Concentrating on his eyes and turning the Sharingan on, Sasuke looked around the chamber he had come to. There was a door ahead of him, a thick iron door clearly made to keep intruders away. Quickly making a few seals, Sasuke lit the entire small chamber in an eerie white glow and the sound of electricity chirping, before he plunged his Chidori-wrapped hand through the iron door's handle. With a bang and a crash his hand made its way through the door before the thing easily swung aside and let him in.

There were only two things in the room beyond. One was a table. The other was a simple small scroll sitting on the table. Taking the scroll, Sasuke headed back up the stairs so that he could read it in the light. Once he was again in the sunshine, he opened the scroll of the Last Art and began reading through it without closing his Sharingan. He needed to memorise the scroll before destroying it, and the Sharingan was the quickest way.

"Hm… surprisingly easy for a forbidden art," he muttered while rewrapping the scroll. Then he threw it to the air, made a short set of seals and blasted it out of existence with a simple fire technique. Then, looking around himself one final time, he began to form the seals of the Last Art. Once he was done with the seals, he could feel a strange energy beginning to envelop himself. With a bitter smile he murmured the art's name… and fell to the ground, dead.


	2. How Things Used to Be

It was much like the old Uchiha compound. He wasn't entirely surprised, though. At that age all he had really cared about was those vacant houses and the endless, nearly nightmarish memories locked away behind closed doors. Even years later he could remember the lonely late afternoons when he just wandered from one empty house to another, looking for solace he simply couldn't find there. Looking for the hope Itachi had taken from him… even though vengeance had occupied his mind too much for any wish of hope to intrude upon his thoughts. The Uchiha compound had been its foundation and base. Here was where it had begun. Here it would begin anew.

Except this wasn't the compound. Even though he hadn't seen it in over four years, he could still remember it perfectly, and in this place there were flaws. The compound he could remember was preserved in his memory with crystal-like clearness thanks to the nights before his flight. For hours he had wandered in the compound with his Sharingan wide open, memorising everything with inhuman detail. This place however lacked many of those tiny details which would never fade from his memory. Because unlike the compound he could remember, this one had been scrutinized and memorized by simple normal eyes, not by the Sharingan.

This was the Uchiha compound his younger self, before the Sharingan, could remember. No matter how his younger self tried, before the Sharingan he was never able to memorise his home perfectly. The human mind wasn't all that good at recording and processing information without the aid of something like the Copy Wheel Eyes. Things not very important to a person weren't remembered with the same clarity as the more important things were. Whilst some things here were very detailed, others were blurry and nearly unrecognisable.

 _What a messy consciousness…_ the elder one thought to himself while making his way through the large imaginary compound. But then again, he knew one far messier. Or perhaps not. Naruto's consciousness was inhabited by a demon, so it couldn't be as clean as those some people had. And Sakura, as far as he knew, had another personality in hers. Whether this place was messy or not all depended on perspective, he supposed.

But where was his younger self? If he had performed the Last Art correctly, his younger self should be twelve now; this should be the night between the day when they had been assigned to their teams and the day when Kakashi held the bell test. He was quite positive that he had landed on the right night, but he couldn't be sure before he found his younger self. But just the look of this place told him that the time was between the Uchiha Massacre and the mission in the Land of the Waves

After glancing around, he headed towards the direction where the main house was; it was the house where he had once lived with his parents and his brother and where he had lived alone for the few lonely years before his flight. It seemed like ages since he had slept for the first time in the completely empty compound just after the massacre…

No, not a massacre. That word was wrong now that he knew the truth. He couldn't think of a better one, though. Even though he did know the true motive behind Itachi's actions now, it did not justify the death of his civilian relatives. The aunt who had been a baker and the uncle who’d been the one to repair rooftops after every winter… they'd even had cousins younger than Sasuke had been, all who had been killed by Itachi. No. Massacre wasn't exactly the right word, but there still was no better one.

Pushing open the door to the main house, he glanced around. This place was far more detailed than the rest of the houses and the streets. It even had the floor and the ceiling right. He breathed deeply and wondered if his younger self could truly remember the scent of their mother's cooking. It smelled familiar… but it had been _so_ long ago… maybe it was the smell of the boy's own cooking. After all, for years Sasuke had only relied on himself for everything -- cleaning, laundry and cooking included.

Walking past the other rooms in search of the heart of his younger self's sanctuary, he came to the bedroom. The very same room he had slept in until he had been thirteen years old. Home is where your heart is, so they said, but to him home had always been the place you could let your guard down. In the entire compound there had only been one room where he could do that. This room. The room that was the only place in the Hidden Leaf he had missed while he had been gone.

Unsurprisingly, his younger self was lying on the bed. Standing over the bed, the elder one looked down at the younger one. There were only about four or five years between them, but to the elder one it felt like an eternity. This boy and he were a whole range of emotions, skills, powers and deaths apart. This boy only knew one fighting style and one kind of Ninjutsu -- apart from those learned in the Academy. This boy was him before lightning. This boy still belonged to fire.

Not knowing what to do, the elder one sat on the bed and just looked down at the younger one. For a moment he felt strange, almost bitter. He now knew that in the moment Kakashi had begun to teach him how to use the Chidori, the fire had begun to die. His vengeance had turned cold and ruthless. He wasn't sure why he was bitter, though. It wasn't just because of that. The entire Chunin Exam had been such an incredible mess. Orochimaru had intruded upon his mind with the Cursed Seal and turned him even more power hungry than he had been before – turned him nearly insane. Kakashi's attemptsto help had just thrown wood into the flames. And  helping him master Rock Lee's Taijutsu and the assassination Technique, Chidori,  had turned the flames white and cold.

Kakashi should've never taught him that technique. Though it was one of his favourites and he used it nearly in every fight, he should've never learned it. Because despite all the battles he had used it in, all the times he had killed with it, he always remembered one first. And he would never forget the feeling of how warm it had felt… when he had plunged his arm through his best friend. It should've never happened… but he couldn't place blame on Kakashi for it. Kakashi may have placed the weapon in his hand, but he had been the one to use it.

Of course Naruto hadn't died, but the memory was and would always be vivid in his mind. He had not once closed his Sharingan during that fight, so he would never forget it either; it would, in a way, haunt him forever… Though now he wasn't sure which Naruto would've chosen; Chidori or the demon extraction. For the world, the former would've been much better than the latter.

But that wasn't essential right now. Now he had time to prevent it -- four years of it in fact. All he needed to do was to grab it. Turning to look at his younger self, the elder one reached out his hand. He hesitated for a moment before his hand closed around the pale throat. "Sorry, brat," he muttered emotionlessly as he begun to squeeze. "But this world needs me more than it needs you. I need your body more than you do."

A still relatively frail spine snapped and the younger spirit began to fade away. As the now only Sasuke felt his spirit begin to gain control of the place he was in, he heard something. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a fading echo of his teacher's laughter.

 

* * *

 

 

Something was ringing. He woke up easily and silently like he always did, without flinching or even deeply breathing. Once his senses confirmed the lack of threats, he opened his eyes and began to sit up. The air smelled familiar. Something jolted inside his chest as his mind remembered where he was. The scent of this place, the weight of the air, the sound of the wind outside, the ringing, the feel of the mattress underneath him…. Of course he had known, but experiencing it was different.

He was home and for a moment he was nearly overcome with a strange, childish need to curl back up on the mattress, to hide underneath the sheets and sleep. Instead he reached for the alarm clock and closed his hand over it. Not sure why he was doing it, he began to crush the loud thing in his hand until the plastic screen shattered and the ringing stopped. Glancing at it uncaringly, he surmised that it was possibly a test of his new -- old -- body's strength. It wasn't like he was going to need that alarm clock again.

Sitting up, Sasuke looked around. His home, his bedroom… when was the last time he had felt like he had those things? One did not find a home in Orochimaru's endless lairs. Nor on the road. This… was truly the only place he had considered home, in those times before he had begun to think that a home was a sign of weakness.

"This time," he muttered with a cold tone. "It will be a weakness I will nourish into greatness."

Grabbing the clothing his younger self had folded and placed on the table beside the bed the previous evening, he slipped out of his night clothing. Feeling strangely nostalgic about wearing his old turtle neck and white shorts again, he slipped his feet into sandals and headed out. He hadn't seen the compound for over three, if not four, years. Even if it was well memorised, he wanted to feel it again.

As he walked from house to house, listening to his steps echoing in them, he imagined something his younger self had only remembered. He imagined the houses full. Imagined people living in them. Imagined the new Uchiha clan -- a better one than the one that came before. Brushing his hands over a wall adorned with the Uchiha fan, he imagined a clan his brother wouldn't have killed. A clan his brother would've been proud of.

He tried to smile at the idea, but couldn't. It roused very little emotion inside him, but he still knew that it was what he was going to do. Pride was just another emotion he had lost somewhere along the way, but he still swore to it, to the memory of what he had thought to be the Uchiha pride, holding the long lost image of his clan. This time there would be no revenge; he would not be an avenger. Instead he would rebuild the Uchiha clan. He would make it greater than it had ever been. It wouldn't be filled with greedy, arrogant old men like it had been before; it wouldn't be a concentration of pride and conceit. His Uchiha clan would be different. It would be better.

And he already knew how he would do it. This time the smile did creep to his lips, slowly and hesitatingly but it did appear. It was ironic, but he was going to bet his entire clan on someone who had never understood such things as his clan, someone who didn't even truly understand the concept of family. Not that he was any better than the one.

He looked up to the sky and blinked. The smile faded and he headed back to his house to get some weapons. It was time to get ready for Kakashi's bell test and meet again with his former teammates. It would be strange, that much he knew. It wouldn't be the Kakashi who had taught him Chidori. It wouldn't be the Naruto he had nearly killed with the said attack. It wouldn't be the Sakura who had cried after him and told him not to leave -- nor the insanely strong medic nin he had met long after that event. This would be the lazy Kakashi who by all appearances didn't care about any of them. The Naruto who was loud and only cared about ramen and being Hokage. And of course the very fangirlish version of Sakura, who didn't pay attention to training or healthy eating -- or anything else that wasn't Sasuke.

It would be strange… and it would be interesting, that was for sure.

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto and Sakura were smaller than he remembered. Not that he in his current state or age was any larger, but still… behind his eyes he watched them with the eyes of a sixteen year old. They looked like such brats -- and now he really could understand why people tended to treat Naruto the way they did, demon aside. Not only was Naruto loud and boisterous and acted like an idiot, but he was a literal eyesore.

Sitting underneath a nearby tree, Sasuke eyed his teammates. Naruto looked like he was about to fall asleep; by the looks of it he hadn't slept much last night. Neither had Sakura, but what bothered him most was her lack of proper nutrition. The girl was entirely too skinny. He of course had slept well and eaten properly before leaving, but he did not need his memories to supply him with information to know that his team mates were in a very weak state.

Kakashi was such a cheat. Not only was he Jounin facing against Genin, but he had intentionally scared them until they couldn't sleep properly and even made them bypass breakfast -- after which he made them wait for him for hours to make sure that they were beginning to feel the hunger, as well as the fatigue, in Sakura's case. And then the man would mislead them about the test and nearly make them fight each other. Kakashi clearly had something against getting a Genin team. But then again, knowing how "well" he did with their team….

Well, the test had worked in the end. Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree trunk while Naruto tried to make sleepy small talk with a slightly agitated Sakura. He had no intention of interfering with the bell test. Why bother when it had worked out so well last time? All he needed to do was to make some feeble attacks here and there and wait for the time to run out. By that time Naruto should be tied to the log again and from there on he could play his part and hand his lunch to Naruto. Why exhaust oneself when things can be resolved so easily?

While waiting for Kakashi, he went through the inventory of his weapons in his mind to come up with attacks somewhat similar to the ones he had used last time. He couldn't remember them exactly as he hadn't had the Sharingan back then, but his younger self had unintentionally left hints. Shuriken and short-handle kunai made for throwing had been readied for the day. As a kid, before he had selected his chokuto, he had been more long range than close range combat oriented -- even though he had been capable of both. Apparently his younger self had figured that he had more chance fighting Kakashi from the distance -- which, considering that his younger self was nothing but a fresh Genin, wasn't a bad idea.

Long range he could hide his skills easier anyway. This body wasn't like his former one -- it lacked the hellish training he had gone through in the village of Sound and therefore wasn't as strong -- but he still knew more than a mere Genin, and for now that was better hidden. Even if his body wasn't up to par, his mind knew ways of killing without physical strength.

When Kakashi finally came, he was not only three hours late but disgustingly cheerful about it. While Naruto and Sakura screamed the usual "You are late!" at their teacher, Sasuke stood up and grabbed his shoulder bag. Taking a stand beside Naruto, he followed his teacher towards the three stumps near the memorial stone. There Kakashi set the timer for noon, giving them forty minutes to complete the so-called test.

"Here are two bells," the Jounin began explaining, holding the tiny things for them to see. "Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get a bell by noon… get no lunch. I will not only tie you to one of these stumps, but I'll eat right in front of you."

Sasuke blinked lazily while glancing at the stumps. From Orochimaru he had heard that his team had been tried with the very same test when the Sannin had been Genin. Jiraiya had been the one who had been tied to the stump. Not surprising really, but the whole thing was brought on interesting perspective when one considered that Jiraiya had been the one to teach the Fourth Hokage -- who still to this day was considered the greatest shinobi.

"You only need to get one bell," Kakashi continued. "There are only two so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And… the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So, at least one of you will be sent back to the academy."

Turning to look at his teacher again, Sasuke remembered the echo of the dread he had felt last time -- as well as the arrogance. 'I'm an Uchiha, of course I will not fail…' or something like that. Poor misled brat. There was _nothing_ great about being Uchiha. Not yet.

"You can use all your weapons," the Jounin continued saying with a lazy look on his face. "You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

"But, sensei!" Sakura spoke out with worry and fear in her eyes. "You'll be in danger!"

"Yeah! You're so slow you can't even dodge a black board eraser! We'll kill you!" Naruto laughed.

Sasuke suppressed a sigh. A few years at the ninja academy and they think they're ready for everything -- or capable of everything. He had been pretty much the same before Kakashi had cut him down to size, but still… humility was a trait Shinobi nowhere seemed to posses. Arrogance and pride everyone had in spades, but that was about it. Orochimaru had unwittingly taught it to him, though. Orochimaru had a tendency to boast, and listening to that for three years could make anyone appreciate nice humble silence -- and Karin… that woman had been like the next level of the current Sakura.

"In the real word, those with no talent often bark the loudest," Kakashi muttered with a dismayed look, causing Sasuke to glance at the man sharply. "Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say…"

Sasuke closed his eyes, already knowing the result of those words. He could nearly hear the blond's internal growling before he heard the sound of someone pulling a weapon. A few rushing sounds later he opened his eyes to see Kakashi holding Naruto's hand and threatening the boy with his own kunai. The kunai was pointed to the small weak point between skull and spine. For a moment Sasuke wondered if Naruto knew that with even a shallow thrust Kakashi could plunge that kunai straight into his brain. Probably not.

"Slow down," the Jounin said. "I haven't told you to start yet." It was almost amazing how the man could make it seem like he hadn't goaded Naruto into attacking. "But at least it seems like you're prepared to come at me with intent to kill… So, you've finally acknowledged me?"

Strange man, to look for acknowledgement from a bunch of children. But then again, Kakashi had always been not only strange but hypocritical. Wanting to be acknowledged by his students while only acknowledging one of them… last time it had pleased Sasuke. Now the idea kind of irritated him.

"Heh. Seems like I'm beginning to like you guys… a little," Kakashi murmured. "Okay, then. Let’s get going. Ready… start!"

With the word Sasuke, like everyone else, dashed into motion. Taking a seat on a nearby tree branch, he sat down nearly casually and decided to watch for a while. If he was right, Naruto would attack Kakashi head on with no plan. It could be slightly amusing to watch and if not that then at least it gave Sasuke a chance to examine his team. Now that he was out of sight, he actually dared to do it.

By comparison to the sixteen year old Naruto whom he had last seen, this one truly was a brat. He attacked head on, loudly and brashly. At sixteen Naruto had gained a little bit of, well, not stealth but certain field wisdom. Back in the future Naruto was no longer a speak-first-attack-later type of fighter; it was really the other way around. Attack now, speak to them if there's something left of them afterwards. That Naruto was really a powerhouse of insanely powerful attacks and he was certainly not afraid to use them. And this Naruto had a long way to go until he got there.

But the thing was, Sasuke knew he would. Naruto had the potential of turning out greater than anyone. Not only was the blond nearly of royal bloodline, he was also the container of the Nine Tailed demon. He was the very definition of a chakra monster. There was incredible potential in Naruto, but… Sasuke wasn't sure if anyone had truly realised it. Now or then.

Kakashi had pulled out his perverted book and Naruto was now loudly attacking him. Leaning his chin on his knuckles, Sasuke watched impassively as Kakashi taught Naruto his so-called lesson of Taijutsu. The black-haired boy blinked lazily at the way the blond was thrown into air after the ridiculous "thousand years of pain." Soon Naruto fell into the nearby pond, sinking underneath the waves only to soon throw two throwing stars at Kakashi. They were caught by the Jounin easily and soon Naruto breached the pond's surface.

Kakashi belittled Naruto again, clearly trying to get a rise out of him. Sasuke tilted his head to the side and wondered if he agreed with Kakashi's methods or if the man pissed him off. They were ninja. They weren't supposed to fight fair or kind and as their teacher the man needed to show that to them, but still… Kakashi was kind of cruel. The dream of being Hokage was all Naruto had, and the Jounin was picking on it. Saying that someone as weak as Naruto couldn't become Hokage… as if everyone didn't start out the exact same way: as weaklings. No matter what anyone said, power was not given to you at birth. It had taken Sasuke a long time to accept that, but he had and now he was going to hold onto it. People needed to work for everything, especially for power. _Nothing_ was free.

As the pond's surface was breached again, Sasuke found a small smirk fighting its way to his lips. Eight Narutos rushed to the land. Kage Bunshin, the blond's favourite skill. Four years from now, Naruto had come up with some excellent ways of using his Kage Bunshin. It was truly a perfect skill for Naruto because only the blond had enough chakra for a skill like that. Naruto could make thousands and thousands of clones without breaking a sweat while Kakashi could barely make ten.

 _That skill, Naruto…_ the black-haired boy murmured in his mind. _That is the one. That will make you strong._

Naruto's plan of using Kage Bunshin was good -- to an extent. It failed the moment Kakashi used Kawamiri,a basic Academy skill. The Jounin switched places with one of the blond's clones. Not realising that it had been Kawamiri and thinking that Kakashi had Henged into him, Naruto began to literally fight with himself.

Sasuke found his smirk fading slightly. _It will take while, though,_ he added to himself, watching how Naruto, soon after recovering, stepped into Kakashi's pretty obvious trap. _I think it's time for me to do something too…_ Reaching for his weapon holsters, he took a handful of shuriken and waited while their so-called teacher talked with the trapped blond, who was now hanging upside down from a tree. When Kakashi showed something similar to an opening, Sasuke threw the weapons and watched as they impacted the teacher. And for a moment it looked like they hit, too.

"No way!" upside-down Natuto yelled. "Sasuke, you bastard! You went too far!"

 _How does he know I'm here?_ The black-haired boy frowned. Then he glanced at Kakashi, whose afterimage was fading, leaving behind a kunai-ridden log. _I'll find out later, time to move now. I can't take him head on._ Quickly he jumped from the branch to another and made his way away from the scene. Making his way further into the forest, he stepped down from the tree branches. He couldn't hide too well, as Genin weren't supposed to be that good, nor could he go too far too fast. Appearing to be weaker than he was… it was going to give him a headache sooner or later.

 _He has dealt with Naruto. Next he will deal with Sakura -- Genjutsu if I recall correctly -- then he will come after me. I think I used the Goukakyuu on him last time…_ he thought to himself while stopping to listen. _It should be a safe jutsu to use, since this body is still relatively untrained. I shouldn't be able to produce too much chakra…_

He looked up as he heard a feminine scream. He narrowed his eyes. "Sakura," he murmured and glanced over his shoulder when he felt a presence.

"Shinobi lesson number two: Genjutsu. Sakura easily fell for it," Kakashi murmured, the bells tingling as the man leaned onto a nearby tree trunk.

Sasuke lowered his eyes. Tajutsu for Naruto, who had a hands-on approach to things. Genjutsu for Sakura, who had probably avoided combat -- and would continue to do so until Tsunade began teaching her. And Ninjutsu for him, which wasn't entirely surprising. In their mismatched group he was possibly the most Ninjutsu oriented… it was strange how things had turned out. Naruto had ended up specialising in Kinjutsu and Sakura in Ijutsu. Kakashi had only been right about him -- though only partially. But then again…. You couldn't exactly teach forbidden arts and medical arts in you first contact with your students.

"I'm not the same as them," Sasuke spoke more to himself. Naruto and Sakura had had potential he hadn't. Potential no one but the Sannin had seen. Whilst everyone had looked at him, the sole survivor of the Uchiha, they had been blind to the potential of Sakura's incredibly precise chakra control and Naruto's endless chakra reserve. And they had not seen the chains holding him back. Vengeance… it really was no source of strength. Only a shackle tied to a ticking bomb.

"Say that after you get the bell…" Kakashi spoke, turning a page. "…Sasuke-kun."

The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke- _kun_? Kakashi really was a hypocrite.

"Hmm…" The Jounin stepped forward. "The strength of the village's first, the Uchiha clan…" the man murmured. "This should be interesting."

Sasuke's expression didn't change as he regarded the man with cool look. _So that was it all along, huh? I always wondered, but now I know for certain. All that extra training, the special treatment, what he gave to me while denying it from Naruto -- and from Sakura, who didn't even ask for it -- it was all because of the name Uchiha. But was it because of the clan… or because of that eye of his?_ _I wonder what he would do or say if he knew what the Uchiha really were…_

Deciding not to waste another thought, Sasuke reached for his kunai. Kakashi blinked at him lazily with his lone visible eye. Without even bothering to hide his attack, the once-again-child threw his weapons. Kakashi sidestepped the attack easily, mocking it with a lazy tone. Deciding to risk it, Sasuke threw a few more weapons before engaging the man in close range combat using what he could remember of the Uchiha style of fighting. What he had forgotten should be enough to counter what he had learned later on.

Remembering that he was supposed to go after the bells, he reached for them in the midst of their battle. If he had remembered them earlier he could've been able to grab them, but he hadn't and Kakashi saw the attack coming. As he was kicked away, Sasuke easily flipped around in the air and landed to his feet. _Should I use the jutsu now…?_

Kakashi looked at him with a strange flat look. "Well… I will acknowledge that you are different from the other two," the Jounin said to him, making him look up sharply.

 _Again with the acknowledging? And he's acknowledging me?_ The raven-haired boy blinked before letting his hands form the well-practiced set of hand seals ending with horse and tiger. He then breathed in a shallow breath while Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. _Here's something for you to acknowledge, Kakashi. My weakest Fire technique, Katon, Goukakyuu no jutsu,_ Sasuke thought and released the breath in enormous ball of flame. It burned his lips and caused his mouth to taste like ash, but the feeling was strangely comforting -- and warm. _I guess my flames haven't turned completely cold._

Kakashi was gone. Looking around idly, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He knew that a mere Genin wouldn't be able to sense the man below him, so he did nothing to move from the spot even as the man moved directly below him. Soon after, his ankle was grabbed. "Doton," came Kakashi's voice from under the ground. "Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu." Then, without further warning, Sasuke was pulled neck deep into the ground.

"Ninja fighting lesson number three: Ninjutsu," Kakashi said while crouching over him, looking at him with a mildly curious but mostly bored look in his eyes. "Well, you're already heads above the others in this area." Standing up, the man reached for his book again. "But hey, they say an exposed nail should be hammered in," Kakashi said and waked away laughing.

Sasuke looked after the man flatly and said nothing. Then he looked down and began slowly releasing his chakra into the rocks around him. Once the Jounin was far enough, he released a sharp pulse of chakra that shattered the stones within an inch of his skin. After that he could easily climb up from the hole and brush himself clean of the dirt. _It should be about time now…_ he thought just as he felt a presence and Sakura ran out of the bushes.

 "Sasuke-kun!" the girl yelled, turning in mid-run to head in his direction. "You're alright!" she yelled and attempted to hug him… only to crash to the ground behind him as he easily dodged her attack.

Looking down at her emotionlessly and wondering how long it would take before she began growing up, he turned to leave. "There isn't much time until lunch. I'm going," he said flatly and began to head back towards the stumps. _Naruto should be tied up by now…_

"Sasuke-kun, you're still going after the bell?" Sakura asked. When he didn't answer, she hurried after him. "Or… did you already get one? You're incredible, Sasuke-kun… but you know, there isn't much time left, so… we don't have to push ourselves too hard, there is always the next time."

 _Hm? Oh, I see. She means giving up this test and trying again next time. Willing to go back to academy so easily… she really has little interest in being a ninja right now._ "You give up too easily," he answered flatly and said nothing more. Then he looked up as in the distance an alarm clock started ringing.

It took a while for them to get back to the stumps. Sasuke had been right; they did find Naruto tied to the middle one, looking very grouchy but rather quiet. The black-haired boy glanced at the blond as he sat down on the ground. Naruto didn't look at him, only stared sullenly at the ground. Sasuke stifled a smirk. It was strangely nostalgic, seeing Naruto like this.

"Oh… you guys look really hungry," Kakashi murmured, looking down at them with his hands folded. "Not that it's a wonder after all that running around. There's something you should know about the exercise, though… Well, there's no need for you guys to go back to the Academy," Kakashi said, smiling down at them in that strange curved-eye way. The words made Sakura and Naruto make exclamations of relief, before the Jounin continued, his expression turning dark. "Yes. You three should all quit being ninjas altogether."

While Sasuke showed no reaction, Naruto yelled out, "Quit as ninjas?! What does that mean!" The blond struggled against the ropes holding him. "Alright, alright! We couldn't get the bells, but… why do we have to quit?!"

"Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be ninjas," Kakashi answered coldly.

Sasuke closed his eyes. _He speaks of it like it's something you can't be if you're not worthy. Like it's a competition with a prize and you have to apply for it. Ridiculous. No one 'deserves' to be a ninja; it's not_ _an award or a prize. It's an occupation or a lifestyle, a bloody and dark one,_ he thought. _There is nothing glamorous about being a ninja. We're just tools of death, nothing more._

"Are you guys underestimating ninjas?" Kakashi asked after moment of silence. "Why do you think you were divided into teams and are doing this training? You don't seem to understand the meaning of the test."

"Meaning?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"Yes. The meaning, the answer that helps you pass this test." Kakashi nodded with a frown half hidden underneath his hitai-ate.

"So… are you going to tell us or not?" Sakura asked with a frown.

Sasuke closed his eyes and rested his left hand on his knee. _This test is a joke,_ he thought with boredom while Naruto yelled at Kakashi to answer the question

"It's teamwork," Kakashi answered. "The three of you working together may have gotten the bells."

For a moment it was quiet as Sakura and Naruto digested the words. Then Sakura frowned with confusion. "What do you mean by teamwork?" she asked, standing up on the other side of Naruto. "There are only two bells! Even if we work together and get the bells, one of us would still fail! What teamwork? That just makes us fight each other…!"

 _Exactly,_ Sasike thought without bothering to open his eyes.

"Of course! This test is purposely set up to make you fight amongst yourselves! The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own interests…and successfully work together, under these circumstances." Kakashi shook his head. "Yet you guys… Sakura, instead of thinking of Naruto, who was right next to you, you were only thinking about Sasuke, who was far away. Naruto, you were just running around by yourself. And Sasuke, you just assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything by yourself."

 _What do you expect? Sakura is_ _the first ninja of her family and dislikes Naruto, and Naruto has never been able to rely on anyone but himself,_ Sasuke thought, still keeping his eyes closed. _As for me, for my younger self… He still thought that the clan's massacre was his fault. It was a matter of pride for him to do everything alone. This man expects too much_ _from punks like us. We aren't like the other ninja kids who were raised in families full of their kind. We are just a bunch of misfits thrown together at the last minute._

"The duties are done by a team. Of course superior individual ability is important to a ninja, but what's even more important is 'teamwork'," Kakashi continued. "Individuals who distrust their team put their comrades in danger… and even get them killed. If a hostage is taken, you will have to make tough choices or die. You will be risking your lives in these duties…"

Sasuke finally opened his eyes as Kakashi walked towards the memorial stone. Many of his clansmen had their names on that stone. None of them from the massacre, though, but there had been Uchiha as long as there had been Hidden Leaf. He had never bothered to read those names, though. Had never bothered to find out their histories. And he knew that it was unlikely that he ever would, either.

"Look at this. The numerous names carved in this stone. These are ninja who are recognised as heroes of the village…" Kakashi spoke while placing his hand over the stone.

Naruto perked at the sound of the word _hero._ "Hey! I've decided!" he called out. "I'll get my name carved to that stone too! Hero! That's what I will become!"

Sasuke looked at the blond thoughtfully before turning to Kakashi again. The Jounin continued, glancing at them from the corner of his eye. "But… they aren't just normal heroes…" he said. "They are all heroes who died in the line of duty."

 _Line of duty,_ Sasuke thought coldly while the words hit Naruto and wiped the wide grin from his face. _What a pretty way of putting it, line of duty. They paint the ninja image with pretty colours and say that we protect and guard and all that… but we don't carry shields in our holsters, do we? Line of duty indeed. They died unable to kill their killers, that's all there is to it._

"This is a memorial," Kakashi said quietly. "My best friend's name is also carved here…" After moment of silence the man looked at them over his shoulder. "You guys… I'll give you one more chance. But after lunch I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch. But don't give any to Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto asked sullenly.

"It's a punishment for trying to eat by yourself. If anyone gives him food they will fail immediately." Kakashi frowned at them. "I make the rules here. Got it?" With that said, the man vanished in whirl of wind and leaves.

 _What a speech. For someone who should go undetected and unnoticed, Kakashi is really a show off,_ Sasuke thought while looking down to the bento boxes before them.

"Heh! I don't need food," Naruto proclaimed proudly beside him, kicking the air as if to show his strength. "I'm just fine!" The effect was ruined by his growling stomach, though.

Sasuke glanced at him emotionlessly while reaching for one of the boxes and opening it. After glancing inside, he closed the lid again. For a moment he wondered if he should untie Naruto… but decided not to. It would be easier to talk to him later if he was tied up. So, instead he just pushed the bento towards the blond. "Here."

"Huh?!" came from the surprised demon container.

"But Sasuke-kun, sensei just said…"

"Don't worry," Sasuke said emotionlessly and looked up at Naruto, who was staring at him in shock. "He needs it more than I do. I'm not as hungry." Silence followed his words before Sakura glanced guiltily at her own bento. Then she handed it over to Naruto with her head bowed low so that her bangs would hide her expression. Sasuke turned his eyes away and concentrated on Kakashi's presence, which came from the trees nearby.

"Hehe… Thanks," Naruto spoke surprisingly softly, making Sasuke wonder if anyone had ever done something like that for him.

Before Naruto could -- not that he would'be been able to anyway, being all tied up -- touch the food, Kakashi appeard with a gust of dusty wind and smoke. "You guys…!" the man growled just enough to scare Naruto and Sakura, but Sasuke sat still, knowing the outcome. And just like he had known, the man ended his growl in a smile. "Pass!"

There was a moment of silence. "Pass? Huh? But… why?" Sakura asked with confusion.

"You guys are the first," The silver-haired Jounin said. "Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They were all just morons. A ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash…" The man turned away. "But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades… are even lower than trash."

 _Do as I say, not as I do, huh, Kakashi_? Sasuke asked while closing his eyes.

"That ends the training! All of you pass!" The Jounin gave them thumps up. "Alright, starting tomorrow, team seven will begin its duties!"

While Naruto celebrated his new status of a ninja with a loud voice, Sakura and Kakashi made to gather their things. Sasuke did the same, glancing back at Naruto. He wanted to talk to the blond alone, so he left with the two, leaving his teammate tied to the stump. Once they were far enough to be well out of hearing range, he turned back. "I left something behind," he muttered to his teacher and his pink-haired teammate.

"Do you want me to come with you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was quick to ask.

"No," he answered flatly and headed back. Kakashi gave him a calculating look but didn't say anything. As Sasuke headed back, he kept an eye on the nature around him until he was sure that their nosy teacher wasn't following.

"Oi, teme!" Naruto cried when he noticed Sasuke. "Get back here and untie me."

Sasuke didn't answer, merely letting his shoulder bag fall to the ground before standing before the blond. For a moment he just looked at the tied boy, wondering if this was the right thing to do, if Naruto would be up to it. When he looked at the other boy like this, he really didn't seem like someone capable of it. But then he remembered the Naruto of the future. The toad summoner, the fourth user of Rasengan and most of all the creator of the Rasen Shuriken, one of the deadliest attacks Sasuke had ever seen or heard of. Naruto had died at sixteen, much too early. Who knew what kind of miracles he would've been capable of performing if things had turned out differently.

"Yesterday…" Sasuke spoke slowly, trying to find a right way to word his thoughts. "You said that you wanted to become Hokage. Why?"

"Why?" Naruto repeated with confusion. "Are you stupid? Because the Hokage is the most respected Shinobi of this land! Because he is the strongest ninja in Fire country! If I become Hokage then I will be respected!"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "Do you really think that?" he asked emotionlessly. "People don't respect the Third as the strongest Shinobi because he is Hokage. He is Hokage because he is the strongest Shinobi and they respect him. The Hokage title doesn't give you any power… and how long do you think a weak Hokage would last?"

"I'm not weak!" Naruto growled at him. Sasuke didn't answer. He just looked down at the blond, spending a moment staring at the ropes before looking up again and raising his eyebrow. The blond snorted sullenly and looked away.

"I once heard," Sasuke spoke again slowly, emotionlessly and thinking every thought carefully. "That when the fourth Hokage was chosen, there were two men of equal power. One of them was a genius who had been able to master difficult Ninjutsu from a very young age. He came from good family which was respected in the village… in a way, he was much like me. The other, however, was an academy dropout who had failed his test once before passing with the lowest scores. As a kid he was loud and boisterous and tended to make a mess of everything. Because he was the first ninja in his family, he didn't have a respectable background like the genius, nor did he have a similar variety of skills as the genius. But he didn't just sit back idly; he created his own jutsu which were considered unstoppable. Those skills made people see him as one of the most powerful Shinobi of the village."

"The genius wanted to be Hokage from the beginning; he wanted to be recognized for his strength, respected as the most powerful one," Sasuke continued in nearly hollow voice, looking towards the village and therefore missing the confused look on his teammate's face. "The dropout didn't want to be Hokage. He just wanted to protect those close to him, to protect the village where he had been born. That was all he cared about."

"Which one do you think made it to the Hokage seat?" Now turning to look at the blond, Sasuke faced his confused expression with even eyes. "The genius or the dropout?"

Naruto faced him defiantly for a moment before lowering his eyes sullenly. "The genius, right?" he muttered through clenched teeth.

"Wrong. It was the dropout." Sasuke shook his head and watched how surprise spread over the blond's tanned features. "Why? Why did the third Hokage choose the dropout over the genius?"

After moment of thinking, Naruto gave up and glared at him. "How should I know?!" he asked loudly to cover up his confusion. "Why are you asking me these things? Just hurry up and untie me!"

"No," the black-haired boy answered, knocking Naruto's metal head-band with his knuckles just strongly enough to be felt. "You're not concentrating on what I'm trying to tell you. Pay attention. As someone who wants to be Hokage, this should be important to you." His voice was a bit sharper now, causing Naruto to look at him warily. "The Third Hokage chose the dropout because the dropout didn't care about power or about recognition. The dropout wanted to protect, and he used his power to protect. The genius just wanted to be _acknowledged_ and because of that the Third never saw him fit to be the Fourth."

"Now, again. Why do you want to become Hokage?" Sasuke asked.

"Because…" Naruto grimaced and looked away. "Because the village loves the Third. Every time he walks by people smile at him and greet him…" he trailed away with a frown. "Because I… want to be greeted like that too."

Sasuke was quiet for a while. He hadn't thought that _that_ would be the reason. He had thought that it would be the 'precious people' Naruto was so keen on protecting in the future. But then again… He, Sakura and Kakashi weren't precious yet, were they? "Do you really need to be the Hokage for that?" he asked thoughtfully, watching Naruto's expression avidly. "Don't you have anyone to smile at you?"

Naruto froze for a moment, before beginning to smile a small smile -- the kind of smile you only gave to certain kinds of people. The kind of smile Sasuke hadn't smiled for a long, long time. "I… I do."

"Do you need to be Hokage for them to smile at you?"

"…No," the other boy murmured with a frown and then a strange, wonder-filled smile. "No, I don't!"

"Then…" Sasuke eyed him more closely now, looking for the spark that  would eventually become the flame that would melt the hearts of those like Neji and Gaara of the Sand. "Why do you want to become Hokage?" he asked again, this time with more weight in each word.

Naruto met his eyes steadily this time. "To protect them." The spark was now there, making the sky blue eyes warm. It was only a beginning but for now it was enough.

 _Good answer,_ Sasuke thought with satisfaction.


	3. Beginning of Teamwork

Naruto looked at his team mate strangely. Sasuke was acting off -- not that he knew the bastard all that well. But… just yesterday the black-haired boy had been calling him "total moron" and "dead last." Now he was talking to him about Hokages and demanding the reason why he wanted to become one. Just… what was going on?

Not that Sasuke was talking right now, though. He had stopped after releasing Naruto from the stump and now they were walking towards the village in silence. The silence was wearing on the blond's nerves and he really wanted to ask his teammate what the heck he was playing at, but… something was different. Sasuke's eyes were empty and he had shown nearly no emotion at all during their previous talk. He wasn't sure if he had seen any emotions or reactions from the black-haired boy all day.

"Soo…" He finally broke the silence carefully, looking at the other boy from the corner of his eye while holding his hands behind his neck. "Where are we going?"

Sasuke didn't answer at first, just staring blankly ahead. For a moment Naruto wasn't sure if he had heard the question at all, since there was no reaction to it whatsoever. Then he spoke. "What do you want?" The tone was just as strange as Sasuke's behaviour, just as impassive.

"To know where we are going." Naruto blinked confusedly and with a little bit of irritation.

Now the black-haired boy glanced at him. "No. What do you want to do?"

"Oh…" For a moment the blond didn't know what to answer. Sasuke was actually asking him what he wanted to do instead of just going off and doing whatever? The Uchiha was acting _really_ strange. "I want to become stronger," Naruto answered, the previous conversation still fresh in his mind.

"Then we'll go train," Sasuke answered with a blank look and dead tone. "The Uchiha complex has suitable training grounds. We can go there."

"What? No way! You're actually letting me see your home? But you never let anyone in there!" Naruto looked at the other boy in shock. Sasuke was _known_ for never allowing anyone to see his home. The girls in the academy had been moaning about it for years. "Why are you asking me to come there?"

"I need training too. Doing it together will benefit us both," Sasuke answered calmly. "At the compound we'll have a wide variety of different weapons nearby as well and good bathing facilities to use after our training. It is a better place to train than the usual training grounds. It is also enclosed. We should not be bothered there."

Naruto blinked. "Okay then…" he murmured a bit confusedly. No mention of parents, huh? Just as he had suspected. He hesitated for a moment, but decided that he could risk it. It was better to know something beforehand than to know nothing, wasn't that what Iruka-sensei had tried to teach him? "So… what is your family like?" He grimaced a bit. _Just how blunt can I be?_

Sasuke glanced at him strangely. "My family is dead," he answered slowly. "Didn't you know?"

Naruto hid his grimace with an uncomfortable smirk before looking away with troubled eyes. "Uh… Well, I had a hunch but I wasn't sure. Sorry," he murmured awkwardly and for a moment there was an uncomfortable silence between them as they came closer to the village. Then, after a moment of contemplation, Naruto opened his mouth again. "How did it happen? I mean… how did they die?"

"They were killed by my brother," Sasuke answered tonelessly, looking ahead again with empty eyes. "I was eight when it happened."

There was no emotion anywhere in his voice and for a moment Naruto couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke felt anything about it at all. Then he remembered the previous day when they had introduced themselves to Kakashi. Sasuke had said that his dream was to kill someone. "Is he the one you want to kill?" the blond asked carefully.

"Yes, I do want to kill him," Sasuke answered with a curt nod. "And eventually I will. He deserves his death."

Naruto frowned a little. There was something strange in the way Sasuke had worded that, but he couldn't figure out what. Shaking his head and pushing the thought away, the blond looked up to the sky. "I'm an orphan too," he said quietly. He had always known that they had something in common, but this wasn't exactly something to bond over. "Never had any family at all."

"Yes, I know." Sasuke's answer was calm. "Do you know who they were? Your parents."

"No." Naruto shook his head. "No one has ever told me anything about them… but you can't really miss what you've never had, you know? I can take care of myself, so it's alright…" he trailed away. Most of the time he wished for parents, though. Living alone wasn't easy, even if he had been living by himself since the age of five. Seeing other kids with their families had always made him sad and jealous. Especially when said families had picked them up from playgrounds or schools while he had had to walk alone to an empty house.

Sasuke looked at him sharply before turning away with a slight frown. "I see," he murmured.

They didn't talk much during the rest of their walk, but it didn't last long as the place where Sasuke lived was on the outer edge of the village. As Sasuke opened the gates of the wall surrounding the complex, Naruto couldn't help but gasp. He had expected a large, fancy house -- he may not know everything but he knew that people had respect for Sasuke's last name, meaning that his family was, had been, a wealthy one. But still… he had not expected a mini-village.

"You live here all by yourself?" he asked with wonder as they stepped inside the wall and into the mini-village. "Look at all these houses! You have all of this space just for yourself?"

"For now," Sasuke answered while closing and locking the gates. He looked around at the compound's main street, where the main houses were. "I try to keep the houses in good shape, and now and then I hire some ninja to tend to the rooftops and such, but essentially I'm here alone most of the time."

Naruto frowned. He had lived alone for years, but he lived in a small shabby apartment with a single room serving as bedroom, kitchen and living room, and a small bathroom. If his little apartment could feel huge and empty at times, what would living alone in a place like this feel like? "Sounds lonely," he murmured.

"For now," Sasuke repeated. "But I will see to it that these houses will one day have families living in them."

"Huh? You're going to rent this place out?" Naruto asked with surprise.

"No," the black-haired boy glanced at him with something akin to amusement in his otherwise empty eyes. "This is a clan compound and only one kind of people will ever live here. One day these houses will be the homes of my children and grandchildren… one day."

The blond looked at the other boy with amazement and then amusement. "Aren't you a bit young to be thinking about having kids?"

"Not really. I'm just too young to have them," Sasuke answered calmly, causing Naruto to blush and cringe at the idea of having kids at twelve. The black-haired boy didn't seem to notice his reaction as he stepped forward. "Behind the main house there is a dojo. We could practice some Taijutsu there."

"Umh… Taijutsu…" Naruto grimaced, feeling an echo of the aching caused by that darned 'Thousand Years of Pain'. Then he realised what Sasuke had said. "You have your own dojo?" he asked with amazement. "That must be awesome."

"I haven't used it in years; it's not exactly useful when you have no one to spar with," Sasuke answered flatly and glanced at him. "A sparring partner would be a welcomed change."

"You're asking me to become your sparring partner? I'd love to!" Naruto grinned widely. He could understand the lack of someone to train with. While the other kids in the academy could train at home with their family members, he had never had anyone to match up against, anyone to train with. Of course he had tried on his own, doing all the exercises hundreds of times, but… it wasn't the same. If Sasuke was really offering to spar with him, then he sure as hell wouldn't decline. "You know, you might not be as much of a bastard as I first thought," he said.

"And you are just as blunt as you've always been," Sasuke answered, turning his eyes away. "Not that I really mind. These days people lie so much that someone like you is rare."

"Someone like me?"

"Someone who speaks his mind and doesn't deceive others." The black-haired boy glanced at him. "It's not becoming of a ninja to be loud or blunt, as we are supposed to be stealthy… We are supposed to lie. It doesn't make it pleasant to witness, though. People lie so much these days that I'm not sure if anyone knows the truth about anything anymore…"

Naruto looked at him with confusion before tucking his hands behind his head. "Is hiding things the same thing as lying?" he asked quietly, thinking about the secret he had. The secret of the Nine Tailed Fox. "Is keeping secrets lying?"

"No. We are supposed to be good at keeping secrets. It's not the same thing as deceiving," Sasuke answered blankly. "Everyone has secrets, I have them as well and I will probably never tell them to anyone. If we rise in rank, there is a chance that some of the things we will do for this village will be classified and will only be able to be talked about with the Hokage himself… That's the way of the ninja. Secrecy isn't always a good thing, but sometimes it's necessary."

"I have a secret," Naruto said slowly, wondering if Sasuke would be mad at him. The Hokage hadn't said that he couldn't tell anyone, but… he didn't want to. Most of the village hated him because of the fox already; he didn't want the number of his haters to increase. "It's a pretty big secret and I… I can't really tell it to anyone. Not even to you."

"And I will never tell my biggest secret to you. So, we are even." Sasuke stopped and motioned at the building before them. "The dojo."

Naruto looked up. It was a traditional kind of dojo, made of wood like most of the village. But unlike most of the village, the dojo didn't have metal pipes or patches on it. He glanced at his teammate. "You won't tell me yours and I won't tell you mine, huh?"

"Yes." Sasuke nodded while sitting down on the porch of the dojo and removing his sandals. "Being a ninja isn't a _show and tell_ business. Most ninja know more secrets than they can easily count -- some even keep themselves secret. Like Kakashi."

"Kakashi?" Naruto quickly began removing his sandals too so that he could follow Sasuke. They left their bags on the porch and stepped inside the dojo.

"His face isn't the only thing he hides," Sasuke answered easily. "He didn't use even a fraction of his true skill against us today. We're just Genin and he is a Jounin. If he had come at us with his true skill, we would be dead now. It's good advice to remember. The ones trying to draw less attention to their skills are usually the strongest of the lot."

"Is this some kind of backwards stab at my loudness, you bastard?" Naruto asked with a frown, while looking around in the dojo. It was simple and empty just like dojos usually were -- not that he had seen all that many.

"Maybe," Sasuke answered with a cool tone and took a stance. "Now… come at me."

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke blocked Naruto's clumsy punch with his wrist before raising his knee to stop a kick. The attacks were both weak and inept; it was easy to tell that no one had ever taken time to teach Naruto how to properly fight in a pure Taijutsu fight. But it had always been like that.

While easily dodging another attack, Sasuke whirled around and kicked his opponent with a bare ankle to the side. Naruto didn't manage to block it and was thrown off balance. While the blond took a moment to rub his hand across his sore side, the black-haired boy regarded him with thoughtful look.

Naruto had never been 'skilled' in Taijutsu, not in the way of Gouken or Juuken. Naruto had never had the chance to learn or master actual 'fighting styles'… but Naruto had something in the way he fought, something Sasuke was sure he could use. Even in the future Naruto had always been rough with his fists and feet, but he still had been good in his own undisciplined way. Naruto had never spent time endlessly punching or kicking a dummy, no. In the future Naruto's close combat-skills had been honed to sharpness by endless fighting -- not by actual training or practicing.

"Use Kage Bunshin," Sasuke ordered and took a stance again.

Naruto glanced at him confusedly before bringing his hands into a single seal. Another Naruto popped into existence with a whirl of chakra-smoke, and together the two blonds began to fight him. It wasn't difficult for Sasuke to keep up with them as Naruto wasn't yet all that skilled at fighting together with his clones, but it did speed things up.

"You should consider using Kage Bunshins in sparring," he said while dodging twin kicks and reaching for the real Naruto with his fist. "You seem to have the chakra to maintain large numbers of them at once. You basically have a limitless amount of practice dummies and sparring partners that don't just take a beating but fight back."

Kage Bunshin was one of the reasons why Naruto, untrained as he was, eventually did become somewhat strong in Taijutsu. Kakashi never taught Naruto anything but the first steps of chakra control and as far as Sasuke knew, Jiraiya had concentrated on Ninjutsu, summoning, and sealing. No one had taught Naruto Taijutsu, but his endless use of Kage Bunshin had finally taught him. Naruto learned by doing, not by studying, even if it had mostly been his clones which had fought.

"I never thought about it that way," Naruto huffed while attacking him again. "Good idea, though."

"Make another clone," Sasuke answered. As a third Naruto joined the fight, he began to slightly enjoy the fight -- and realise the limits of his body. It wasn't even nearly as strong as his future one. His current height limited his fighting as well -- he was accustomed to a longer reach than he now had. But what he lost in strength and height he gained in nimbleness. His twelve-year-old body was more agile than his sixteen-year-old one had been -- even if only by a small margin.

With a sharp kick, Sasuke dispelled one of Naruto's clones. "When I dispel a clone, make a new one," he ordered and the fighting continued. While continuing to fight and explore his body's limitations and Naruto's skills, the black-haired boy began to wonder how to bring the speciality of Shadow Clones to Naruto's attention. He was pretty sure Naruto didn't know that what a Shadow Clone learned became the original's knowledge when the clone dispelled. There was no hurry, though. For now just fighting was enough.

About an hour later, they had both begun to tire. Calling their four-way sparring session to an end, Sasuke sat on the wooden floor to catch his breath. Naruto was less graceful as he fell flat onto his back, gasping loudly. Then, to the other's surprise, the blond began to laugh. "That was fun," the demon host chuckled. "We need to do that again sometime."

"Yes, we should," Sasuke answered and wiped his hand over his sweaty brow. Looking at his now moist fingers, he frowned. "Maybe we could make this a daily habit. Sparring sessions after ninja duties."

Naruto glanced at him and then grinned widely. "Yeah!" he agreed, before stopping. "Hm… should we invite Sakura-chan too?" he asked with a frown. "I know you don't like her, but… she's still our teammate."

Sasuke frowned. He hadn't really thought about Sakura, since she wasn't all that important for his plan, but Naruto raised an interesting point. If some things went as they had, then maybe Sakura would get an apprenticship under Tsunade again. She would become a formidable ninja; her precise chakra control would turn into a dangerous and precious tool. Not to mention the fact that in Sasuke's past, she had become one of the top three medics in the Fire country.

 _I'm going to make Naruto stronger if I can,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _I need his spirit to be around me and to influence me -- and my clan once I start recreating it. Sakura… I haven't thought of her, but having a medic nin as a friend… that isn't a bad idea. I could aide her too and guide her to the path of Ijutsu…_

"I'll ask her," Sasuke said after moment of thinking. _Maybe I can even break her of her habit of fangirlism …_ Shaking his head, he stood up. "I'm going to take a shower. If you want to, you can take one too. After that there is something I need to do, so I need to ask you to leave."

Naruto yawned. "I wouldn't want to be a bother to you. I can bathe at home," he said, standing up and stretching. Before stepping closer to the exit to get his sandals and bag, he glanced at him. "By the way… what was all that, about me being Hokage? Why were you so interested in the reason?"

"Because I wanted to know if you were just saying it or if you're really going to become Hokage," Sasuke answered with calm voice. "I wanted to know if you really had a chance."

The blond blinked, before tucking his hands behind his head and grinning sheepishly. "You're strange, but… what do you think?"

Sasuke glanced at him coolly. "One day you just might become Hokage, Naruto. One day I might serve under you as your subordinate. But you need to work hard to reach that goal." _But in the end it doesn't matter if you will become Hokage or not. One day I will follow your lead regardless. In a way, I already do._

Naruto blinked with surprise before grinning widely. "I will! I'll work harder than anyone, I'll become strong, and I'll become your Hokage! And then you will be one of my precious people and I will protect you!" The blond stopped, looking shocked, before blushing and clamping his hand over his mouth. "I didn't mean to say that," he mumbled against his palm.

Sasuke nodded despite the blond's embarrassment. "I'll hold onto your words, Naruto. Don't break that promise," he spoke in a serious voice.

Turning serious as well, the blond nodded. "I won't."

After the boisterous orange-clad ninja left, Sasuke took a quick shower, dressed in clean clothing, and headed out. He had some questions to ask and only one man in the village would be able to answer them.

 

* * *

 

 

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage of the Leaf, leaned back with a slight smile while lowering a brush. His work for the day was done. It had been a good day. Not only had there been a relatively small amount of paperwork for him to do, but Kakashi had delivered some pleasant news. Team seven had passed the bell test. Starting tomorrow, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura would begin working actively as ninja. And though according to Kakashi, Naruto had done rather poorly on the test, the team had understood the teaching behind it.

 _Maybe now I can smile at Naruto without feeling so guilty about his predicament,_ the old man thought to himself while reaching for his pipe. As he stuffed some tobacco inside, he wondered not for the first time if he had done the right thing with Naruto. The kid had had a rough childhood, though very few people knew about it, and mostly it was his fault.

He had been the one to hide the truth behind laws. He had been the one to place Naruto in an orphanage -- from which Naruto had been kicked out before he had even been six. He had been the one to put Naruto into an apartment instead of looking for a caretaker for the boy -- but then again he doubted anyone would've been willing to take him into their care. He had also been the one to allow Naruto entrance into the NinjaAcademy, despite the objections from various clan heads and the Fire Country Council. Naruto had thanked him for it, but sometimes the old man wondered. Had he done anything right by the boy?

Maybe now, as an active ninja, Naruto could be happy. The civilian populace of the village wouldn't be able to bully the boy anymore now that he had a headband. And if Naruto was anything like his father, it wouldn't take him long to begin gaining the acknowledgement and respect of the other Shinobi in the village. He would get what he wanted. So, it was alright… wasn't it?

He looked up as he felt a presence. One of the ANBU who guarded the tower seemed to materialise out of nowhere. "Hokage-sama, Uchiha-san is here to see you," the Anbu said curtly.

"Sasuke?" the Hokage asked with surprise. The last Uchiha rarely came to the tower and the old man couldn't remember any occasion when the boy actually came to see him. Once or twice the boy had paid to have someone repair something at the Uchiha complex -- though usually Sarutobi didn't allow him to pay for it -- but the boy never came to meet with him. Young Sasuke was very proud and never asked for help or guidance from anyone.

If something had led Sasuke here, then it must've been rather serious. "Let him in," the old man quickly said to the ANBU, who nodded and vanished. Soon after the doors to his office were opened and the black-haired boy walked in. He was dressed in his usual dark blue shirt and white shorts and had his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Sasuke," Sarutobi smiled warmly. "What brings you here?"

"Naruto," the boy said rather coldly while walking to the Hokage's desk.

The old man frowned at the boy's cold tone. He knew that since the Massacre, Sasuke had been rather unfriendly to many people, and even cold at times, but… what had Naruto done to warrant such ice? Was it the test? "Now, now, Sasuke. I understand that Naruto's performance during Kakashi's test wasn't exactly admirable, but if you'll just give him a chance--"

The boy looked at him blankly and cut in. "Why doesn't Naruto know about his parents?" he asked in a calm, though slightly unfriendly, tone.

The Hokage froze. "W-what?"

"Why doesn't Naruto know about his parents?" the boy repeated in the exact same tone and level of voice. "I talked to him today after Kakashi's test. He said that he has always lived alone and that no one ever told him who his parents were. Why doesn't he know?"

"Well," the old man leaned back, not really sure what to make of this sudden subject of discussion. In all these twelve years _no one_ had asked  who Naruto's parents were. For Uchiha Sasuke to be the one to finally inquire about it was surprising. On the other hand, it wasn't -- after all, the boy didn't have any parents either. "Naruto is an orphan, much like you," the Hokage said calmly. "His parents are dead."

"I know." The last Uchiha gave him a flat look. "His parents died during the demon attack. That doesn't explain why you are keeping the truth from him."

Sarutobi frowned. The boy was persistent, almost as if… as if he knew the truth. Taking a breath through his pipe, the old man was quiet for a moment and decided to test the waters. "We are not sure of his parentage."

"Of course you are," the boy said evenly, now with a slight frown. "Don't take me for a fool, Hokage; you can't make me believe your lies when I know the truth. Now tell me. Why doesn't Naruto know that he is the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

 _So he does know._ "How do you know that?" The old man narrowed his eyes. Only a handful of people knew about Naruto's true linage and Uchiha Sasuke was not supposed to be one of them.

"How I know about it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are keeping the truth from him. Why?" The question was spoken slowly and with steel -- and now the boy was clearly glaring at him. "And don't try to distract me by asking why I want to know and don't tell me that it is none of my business. He is my teammate and therefore it is my business. Now tell me before I lose the last of what little respect I have for you."

The old man frowned. Then he allowed his forehead to smooth out and shook his head. "The Fourth had many enemies. If they had found out that he had a son before his death, Naruto would've been in danger. Many wanted the Fourth dead and I was afraid that the hate would descend upon Naruto. So it was kept secret."

"I did not ask why you are _hiding_ the truth -- I can understand that if the Cloud found out about Naruto, it could throw us into another war -- or at least risk his life," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I asked you why _he_ doesn't know."

"Naruto has believed all his life that his parentage is unknown," the old man said. "It would've been difficult --"

"For whom? For him or for you?" the boy asked coldly, causing the old man to turn quiet. "Because of _difficulty_ you allow Naruto to continue to believe that no one knew his parents and that they could've been nothing but a beggar and a whore. Because of _difficulty_ you're keeping the truth from Naruto. Have you seen the way he lives, the place he lives in, the food he eats? When my family died, I inherited all the Uchiha clan owned as its sole lawful survivor. I survived because of the wealth left to me, and I managed to keep eating because of that inheritance. Did the fourth Hokage really live as a beggar, or is it too _difficult_ to allow Naruto claim his inheritance and live pleasantly?"

Now the Third was frowning darkly. He would've liked to say that the boy was overstepping the line… but it was very difficult to condemn someone who was throwing your mistakes in your face.

"Most of all… is it too _difficult_ to allow Naruto feel some pride for his family?" Sasuke asked flatly. "Right now he thinks he is a nobody without a family, a nobody without a history, a nobody without a foundation. No one's son, a nobody who comes from nowhere. Is it too _difficult_ to allow him to think of himself as the son of hero?"

"I wouldn't want Naruto to be overshadowed by his father," the Hokage quickly cut in.

"Overshadowed?" the boy repeated slowly, looking at him coldly for a long time, before tilting his head. "You think Naruto could be overshadowed…?" he said and turned to leave. "I see and apparently you don't. And losing my respect for you wasn't _difficult_ at all."

"Wait, Sasuke." The Hokage stood up. Sasuke was the last of his clan; he couldn't afford to lose the boy's respect. He couldn't afford to have the boy turn into another Itachi, another Orochimaru. "You know how Naruto is," the old man said, trying to appeal to the boy's arrogance. "He isn't like you. He wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. He would endanger himself and the Leaf."

"Do you honestly believe that?" The boy looked back at him over his shoulder with empty eyes. "Hmph. And to think that Naruto is actually jealous of someone like you," he muttered coldly before leaving a baffled and thoroughly confused Hokage behind.

Sitting back down, the old man brushed his hand over his brow with a worried frown. Why did Sasuke care so much about whether Naruto knew or not? It wasn't like the Uchiha at all. How did the boy know, anyhow? Maybe something was going on, maybe…

 _Stop trying to distract yourself, old man. The boy was right and you know it,_ his conscience spat at him, causing him to lower his head into his hands. Naruto had showed an admirable ability to keep secrets ever since he found out about the Nine Tails. Despite being loud, the boy knew how to keep his mouth shut. Why was he keeping the truth from Naruto?

 

* * *

 

 

The day following his meeting with the Hokage, Sasuke stifled the urge to roll his eyes and sigh irritably as his team headed back towards the HokageTower to give their report. Their very first mission as ninjas had been… pitiful. Before now he had only been able to remember that damn cat from their period of D-rank missions, but now he remembered more. Their very first mission as ninjas had been going shopping for some old couple -- and that was just the first mission of the day. He already knew that by the time they would finally be allowed to take C-class missions, he would be bored half to death.

He glanced at his teammates. Naruto was looking sulky about the lack of action but Sakura seemed relieved, as she wasn't all that fond of action and battles… at least not yet. In the future it would be a totally different matter, though. It was interesting how the willingness to fight depended on a fighter's strength. Sakura wasn't anywhere near strong yet, so she didn't want to fight, either. But once she got strong, she would fight. And not only that, her sheer wilfulness alone would make her a formidable opponent. But, like Naruto, she had a long way to go until then.

Pushing his hands into his pockets, Sasuke threw a sideways glance at their teacher. Kakashi had been careful about it, but the boy had noticed long ago that the man was carefully keeping an eye on him. The Hokage had probably asked him to do it, which was no surprise after yesterday's encounter. The raven-haired boy frowned and admonished himself for losing his head like he had, but it couldn't be helped now. All he could do now was wonder. He had tried to make the Hokage tell the truth to Naruto, but instead of paying attention to Naruto, the old man had made Kakashi keep an eye on _Sasuke_. As if he had done something wrong by asking.

But on the other hand, it had been out of his former character to demand answers about what Naruto did and did not know. He wasn't supposed to know about Naruto's parentage, as only those who had been close to the Fourth Hokage before his death were supposed to know. He needed to come up with an explanation to cover that knowledge or they would think that he had either found out through spying or had been informed of it by someone. He didn't need to get people suspicious about him right now.

Soon they came to the Hokage tower and to the mission office where Kakashi gave a brief and simple report of their "mission's" success. Once it was done, Iruka, who apparently worked part time in the mission office, found them another mission. Thankfully the Hokage wasn't there right then. The old man had been there earlier that morning, and Sasuke had already gotten slightly irritated by the looks he had been given.

"Aw man, another sucky mission?" Naruto moaned after Kakashi and Iruka picked one. This one was apparently a mission to paint a fence. As they headed out of the office again and followed Kakashi's lead to the fence they were supposed to paint, Sasuke glanced at Naruto.

"You know, with you here we should be able to finish this one in no time," he pointed out calmly.

"Huh?" The blond looked at him with surprise while Sakura looked between them curiously.

"Kage Bunshin," Sasuke just said and looked forward again. Kakashi gave him a half curious, half surprised look but didn't say anything, and Sasuke showed no sign of even noticing the look. The raven-haired boy was determined to make Naruto use his clones as much as possible, so that it would begin to be so natural for the blond that he would use them all the time and for everything. The more Naruto used them, the better he got at it.

Naruto seemed to cheer up at the idea of being able to apply his favourite jutsu on such a boring, simple mission. "Right!" he said determinately and looked forward with serious eyes. As soon as they got to the place and Kakashi pointed them to the paint and the fence, Naruto made ten clones. The clones started to open the paint buckets.

"Does this mean that we don't need to--" Sakura started to ask while the eleven Narutos grabbed brushes and got to work. She stopped, however, when Sasuke took a bucket and opened it. The girl sighed and took a bucket herself, muttering something about ruining her clothing. Sasuke didn't pay much attention to her as he started to work as well.

The mission was finished in record time thanks to Naruto's shadow clones. Thirteen pairs of hands did work a lot quicker than three. Sasuke couldn't figure out if Kakashi was happy or mad about it as they headed to the office to get another mission. Apparently the Jounin had hoped that the painting mission would last longer and that they could get off afterwards.

"You're already done?" Iruka asked with surprise as they returned to the office.

"With my clones it was no biggie!" Naruto grinned at him happily. "Give us another one!"

In the end they did four missions on their first day. Weeding a large garden took no longer than painting a fence thanks to Naruto's clones and cleaning a messy storage house was no problem either. In the end Iruka let them go because they had run out of missions for the day.

"Sasuke, you stay behind for a moment," Iruka said before letting them leave, though. "The Hokage wants to have a word with you."

Sasuke frowned while Naruto and Sakura threw curious looks at him. Then the raven-haired boy shook his head, glancing at his blond team mate. "Could you wait for me?" he asked, as they had planned to have another sparring session after their work for the day was done. There was also something he wanted to buy for Naruto before they headed back to the Uchiha complex and it was better for Naruto to be there when he did.

"Of course, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura assured, not realising that he hadn't been speaking to her. Naruto glanced at her with slight surprise before nodding to the Uchiha. Kakashi gave him a look but didn't say anything. Soon Sasuke was led out of the room and into the Hokage's office, where the old man himself waited with a serious look on his wrinkled face.

"You can go, Iruka-sensei, thank you," the Third said and the teacher left them alone. There was a quiet moment before the Hokage spoke again. "Sasuke, I must insist that you tell me how you found out about Naruto's father."

Sasuke blinked and was quiet for a moment. Wasn't the old man going to do anything about it? Wasn't he going to tell Naruto? He frowned slightly. "I found out about it from my father's journals, not too long ago," he answered easily. "Along with many other things."

The Third looked a bit worried about this. "That was classified information; he should've never written it down. Where are these journals now?"

"I burned them after reading them. I knew that the information in them shouldn't be left out in the open like that. Also, the journals contained some sensitive information about the Uchiha clan. I couldn't risk that ending up in the wrong hands," the boy said, now warming up to his lie. Even though he liked Naruto's openness, it didn't mean that he would be truthful. It wasn't like he could say that he had heard it from Orochimaru and his brother before he had killed them both in a future that would never happen.

"I see…" The old man nodded. "And what are you intending to do with this knowledge?"

"Keep it," Sasuke answered. "I know that the information is volatile, and I know that many people would come after Naruto with the intention of harming him if they found out. And it's not my job to tell Naruto about how you've been deceiving him all his life. That's _your_ job."

"I see…" the Hokage repeated, now in a quieter tone. "Very well. You're dismissed."

Sasuke left without a word. He knew that he was pressuring the Hokage, intentionally forcing the man to feel guilty about his actions. It wasn't the way he usually did things, but this matter was too fragile for him to try to force it in any other way. It was a personal matter of Naruto's, and Sasuke knew that the blond and the Hokage had a bond of some kind. It was also a bond he didn't dare to break.

"Why did the Hokage want to talk with you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked once he had joined his two teammates. Kakashi had left, but Sasuke could still feel the man's presence. Kakashi would no doubt trail after them as they left the tower, but the man wouldn't be able to follow them into the Uchiha Estate. The compound had special protections against secret intrusions.

"To finish a conversation," Sasuke answered curtly and looked at Naruto. "Let's go."

Naruto nodded and followed him out of the room and then towards the exit. Sakura trailed after them, but Sasuke didn't say anything against it. It wouldn't hurt if the girl came with them. Actually… it was a good thing. A thought of how to get Sakura to not only join their training sessions but of how to make the girl grow as a ninja formed in his head. If he had still been that kind of person, he would've congratulated himself for having such a good idea. But he didn't; instead, he turned to Naruto.

"There's something I've been meaning to do for a while in the compound, but… I haven't really had the time for it," he begun somewhat carefully. "I was wondering if you would be willing to help? With your Kage Bunshin we could get it done even today."

"Umm... more chores?" Naruto frowned, scratching his cheek with a look of slight dismay on his face. "What do you need help with?"

"Well, I was thinking about gathering all the scrolls from the compound into a single library," Sasuke said, thinking back to the houses. "Many of the clan members were ninjas before they were killed. So far I've left their personal scrolls in the places they were, but it would be nice to gather them into a place where I can have easy access to them if I need them."

"Hmm. That seems pretty easy," Naruto said carefully. "But making a library? I can't even keep my own room in order!"

"I can help you too, Sasuke-kun," Sakura quickly offered, leaning forward eagerly. "I could organise the scrolls, I'm good at things like that."

Sasuke nodded, hiding his satisfaction. "Thank you," he simply said with a nod. "I need to buy something first, but afterwards we'll head to the compound, unless you have something else to do."

"No, I have nothing planned," Sakura said with a wide smile, and Naruto agreed while linking his fingers behind his neck. Then Sakura looked at him worryingly. "Um… I've heard that you're the last of your clan, Sasuke-kun, but… if it's not too rude to ask… what happened to them? Your other clan members? You said that they were killed…"

"My brother killed them over four years ago," Sasuke answered calmly.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry…" Sakura whispered.

"Why? It wasn't your fault. He had his reasons and I will eventually kill him for it. That's all there's to it," the raven-haired Genin said with a shake of his head. They walked the rest of the way in silence, until Sasuke stopped to look at the store he had planned on visiting. It was the weapons shop where he had long ago bought his weapons. He glanced at Sakura. "Could you wait outside, Sakura?"

"Uh, yes, but… why?" the girl asked with confusion.

"I want to talk to Naruto alone," Sasuke said simply and motioned Naruto to follow. Thankfully Sakura, though a bit dismayed, stayed outside. The blond however looked at him with confusion, but before he could ask Sasuke spoke again. "You want to be stronger, right?" he asked. "To become the Hokage."

"Of course," Naruto nodded confusedly.

"There is a training method which I think would be useful for you. I can't use it because it doesn't suit my physique and it probably won't be useful for Sakura either, but you have the right structure for it." Sasuke motioned the blond to follow him as they walked deeper into the shop. The shop keeper gave Naruto a nasty look, but Sasuke didn't care about it. "You've done body building exercises, right?"

"Yeah, I do a hundred push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups every day." The blond nodded. "And run ten kilometres every other day if I have the time."

Sasuke glanced at him with surprise. He did such exercises too, but he hadn't really thought that Naruto followed an actual schedule. "Good," he said before motioning at the items he had in mind. On a rack there were ankle, wrist and vest weights. "I was thinking that something like these would work well for you."

"Hm?" Naruto blinked and took one of the wrist weights into his hand. "Weights? These are meant to be worn on your wrists?"

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded, looking at the weights thoughtfully. "You have a physique that will allow for these kinds of muscle exercises -- and the chakra to withstand it too. With these kinds of things it will be like you're doing muscle exercises all the time -- that is if you wear them all day. You would basically get a little bit stronger with every move."

"Awesome." Naruto's eyes lit up. "Do you wear weights like these?"

"No. My physique isn't really good for this kind of training method. Uchihas are generally engineered for speed, not for brute strength." Sasuke shook his head. "You would benefit from this kind of training more than I would."

"Okay, cool." Naruto nodded, before frowning at the price tag. "I'm not sure if I can get these, though. They aren't cheap."

"I'll buy them for you. You can pay me back by becoming a Hokage I can respect," Sasuke said while selecting the ideal set for his teammate. While Naturo tried to overcome his bout of speechlessness, Sasuke headed for the counter to pay for the weights. Once that was done, he handed the purchase to his teammate.

"I… thanks," Naruto finally said lamely as they headed back out. "I mean really… thank you, Sasuke. I'll pay you back, I promise."

Sasuke nodded. "You can get yourself a heavier set later, when you've gotten adjusted to this one," he said and looked at Sakura, who was looking at the paper bag in Naruto's hands curiously. Sasuke motioned them to follow. "Let's head to the compound. I should have enough food for us to make something to eat before we start fixing the library."

"We'll eat together?" Sakura asked with near amazement.

"Yes! Food! I was starting to get hungry, too. Hey, Sasuke, do you think you have any ramen?" Naruto asked quickly.

"No, I don't think so," the raven-haired boy said to the blond's dismay. He glanced at his teammate seriously. "If you just eat ramen you'll stunt your growth, Naruto."

"I know, I know." The blond rolled his eyes. "Iruka-sensei tells me that all the time. But what can I say; ramen is the best food out there. Not only is it cheap but there are so many flavours… yum!"

Sakura muttered something about ramen being fattening. Sasuke snorted and looked ahead. "I see."

Once they got to the Uchiha complex, the feeling of Kakashi tailing after them stopped. The Jounin most likely could've broken through the protections on the compound, but he didn't. He probably didn't want to alert Sasuke to being watched. Giving the man no other thought, Sasuke led Naruto and a slightly overwhelmed Sakura to the main house and into the kitchen. There they found that of all three of them, Sakura was the only one who couldn't cook. It caused much amusement for Naruto, but in the end it made sense. Sakura had her parents to cook for her after all, while Sasuke and Naruto both lived alone and had to survive by themselves.

After they finished eating their simple dinner, Naruto pulled on his new weights and divided himself into about forty Narutos. With Sasuke's instructions they headed out into the complex and began searching the empty houses for all the books and scrolls they could find. In the meantime, Sasuke, Sakura and the original Naruto selected the house next to the main house and started to clean it up so that it could serve as a library.

"My uncle and his family lived in this house," Sasuke said while they carried various pieces of furniture out to a nearby storage house. "Like all the other houses, I haven't bothered to clean it up or clear it out. Basically it is just the way it was when there were people living in it."

"That's kinda creepy," Naruto murmured. "And probably very dusty too."

"Probably," Sasuke admitted. It took a while to get the house completely empty. After that they began to raid the nearby houses for book and scroll shelves. Meanwhile, the Naruto clones had piled the scrolls and books they had found on the porch. There was a pretty formidable sum of them -- and the clones were still working.

Once the house was somewhat ready, they started to study the scrolls. "Katon, Doton, Futon, Suiton, Raiton… There's Ninjutsu of all five elements here!" Sakura went through the scrolls with awe written all over her face. "And not just that, there's all kinds of other arts here too; Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ijutsu… wow."

"I guess I could say that my clan specialised in collecting knowledge," Sasuke murmured with a slight grimace. It had been a common hobby of those who had mastered the Sharingan. They had copied jutsu and then written them down on scrolls. Some of the eldest Uchiha had had more than a hundred of such copied jutsu written down. Of course it meant that some jutsu were probably written down a few times.

"So, shall we begin organising these?" Sakura asked with a serious look on her face. "First let's put them in certain piles. Genjutsu there, Taijutsu here -- I think we should put the different Ninjutsu in different piles, it'll help organising these into shelves…"

The Ninjutsu piles were definitely the biggest, but there were many scrolls on Taijutsu too. The books were mostly about Ijutsu but there was also a few about weaponry and special types of chakra control. Sasuke found Sakura's organisation abilities much to his satisfaction as the girl selected shelves and began filling them with scrolls. Sasuke could already tell that it would be easy to find what he wanted in this soon-to-be library of his.

"You're really lucky, Sasuke-kun. To have this much information on so many different subjects," Sakura said while finding a bookshelf for the Ijutsu. "I wouldn't be able to buy a fraction of these even if I completed a hundred D-rank missions." She looked longingly at the books as she placed them into the shelf. "I'm almost jealous."

"You can borrow them if you want to, or you can read them here." Sasuke said, causing her to snap her eyes to him with surprise. He shrugged. "They are meant to be put to use and Naruto will be spending some time here as well, so you might as well join us. I will want any you borrow back, though."

"Thank you so much, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said happily. "I'll take good care of any I read, I promise! Though, wait… Naruto spends time here?"

"We spar," Naruto said while carrying an armful of scrolls inside from the porch where his clones were still piling them. "Sasuke's idea. I guess we're putting Kakashi's teamwork speech into full use, huh?"

"I guess," Sasuke murmured. They really hadn't last time; heck, they had barely been a team at all. The only times they had worked in any semblance of a team had been in times of dire need -- during fights and such. This time would be different. This time Sasuke wanted to _glue_ himself to his team -- especially to Naruto, but Sakura would serve her purpose as well. He hoped to the gods that together the two would stop him from falling to the same fate he had fallen last time. Of course, saving the world from certain destruction was also important. Naruto would help him there, Sakura too.

It took the rest of the day to fix the library, and when they finished there was no time for sparring. It didn't mean that the day had been a loss, though. Sasuke had gotten his library sorted out. Sakura ended up borrowing some scrolls about the basics of chakra control. And thanks to his excessive use of Kage Bunshin and now added weights, Naruto had gotten plenty of training. So much in fact that he was about to collapse when Sasuke called it a night.

"You can sleep here if you're too tired to head home," Sasuke suggested to the dead tired blond. "There are plenty of futons so it wouldn't be bother at all."

"Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto smiled widely while falling to the floor. "Man was I ever wrong when I thought you were just an arrogant bastard. You're actually rather nice -- in your cool, detached way."

"Naruto! Don't call Sasuke-kun names when he's just trying to be nice!" Sakura scowled at the boy while pushing the scrolls she had selected into a shoulder bag she had borrowed from Sasuke. Then she looked at Sasuke carefully with a blush on her face. "Um… Today was fun. We'll be doing this more often, right? And, um… maybe I could stay over too, sometime?"

"I wouldn't mind if you two stopped by every day," Sasuke answered rather flatly. "We could even make rooms for both of you here, there's plenty of space after all."

"Alright!" Sakura cheered, before blushing embarrassedly. "Well, uh… I think I need to head home before my parents begin to worry. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Yeah. Bye, Sakura-chan, and good night," Naruto called after the girl. Then the blond looked up to Sasuke. "Um… would it be possible… in some manner… perhaps… to eat?" he asked carefully but eagerly. "Maybe?"

The raven-haired boy suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes. Come on."


	4. Seeing What He Sees

"… mean when you said that you were engineered for speed?" Naruto was asking Sasuke when Kakashi came into hearing range. The Jounin didn't come close enough to be seen, just close enough to watch his students -- especially Sasuke. The last Uchiha wasn't acting like he had expected, and it was worrying both him and the Hokage.

"Exactly what I said." Sasuke's tone was almost cold. He was leaning on the small bridge's rail, standing between Naruto and Sakura, who were both listening to him. "To say it crudely, I am the result of careful breeding, all Uchihas were. Do you know about Kekkei Genkai?"

"The Bloodline Limits. They are abilities passed down genetically in specific clans," Sakura said, giving the textbook answer. "Two of the most famous ones in the Leaf are the Byakugan and the Sharingan, both of which enable the use of rare and specific Dojutsu, or eye techniques. I think the Byakugan gives a person three hundred and sixty degree field of vision and the ability to see the chakra patterns…"

"Wow," Naruto said in amazement.

"Exactly. Well put, Sakura. The Uchiha is… was… the clan with the Sharingan." Sasuke folded his hands. "Copy wheel eyes. It enabled our clan to see through low level Genjutsu, chakra in a person's body… and most of all, it allowed the ones who had mastered its use to copy techniques they saw. Meaning that if a Sharingan user saw someone use a technique, then they could use it almost as efficiently as its original user. It has other qualities, but the ability to copy is the most famous one."

"You have this Sharingan thing too?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I have the genes, yes," Sasuke nodded curtly. "Since the Sharingan was first created, our clan has been working on mastering the ability to utilise it perfectly. Before our clan became large enough for intra-clan marriages, all marriages were carefully planned so that the progeny would have a certain kind of physique. Because of the Sharingan, the original Uchihas didn't favour physical strength; instead, they leaned toward speed and agility. I guess the idea was to be able to use the Sharingan without being physically caught or stopped. In any case, my body has the potential for speed and limberness, but not for physical strength," the Uchiha finished with a shrug, looking up at the sky. "Uchiha Taijutsu relies greatly on speed and agility as well."

"Hmm…" Sakura looked thoughtful. "That seems kind of… I don't know what to think of the idea of selecting partners because of their physique. Aren't marriages supposed to be based on love?"

Sasuke looked at her with a strange, almost pitying look. "In the early ages marriages were political affairs -- usually with money involved. Love is a pretty new notion."

Sakura pouted. "That's harsh."

Naruto folded his hands and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hmm… you said that you are limber. Aren't ninja usually that way? We were taught all kinds of stretches in the academy to keep us agile…"

"Well, yes. But not like me," Sasuke shook his head. "First of all, you need to stretch to keep up your limberness. I don't and I never will -- and even so I will always be more agile than you. It's in my blood -- and in my sinews and bones."

Naruto pursed his lips. "That sounds unfair," he muttered before pointing at Sasuke accusingly. "I don't believe you. Give us a demonstration!"

"Naruto! Be nice!" Sakura admonished him before turning to Sasuke to distract him from Naruto's question. "Is there a way for someone out of the Uchiha clan to have that kind of agility?" she asked curiously.

"It requires lifelong practicing, but I've heard that there is some medical stuff which can help a person get limber," Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not sure if there is actually truth to that, though. If there is such medicine, you might find something about it in my library. I heard about it when I was little in the Uchiha complex, so it stands to reason that one of my relatives had the information."

The girl smiled widely. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. I'll check the next time I visit."

While the three continued to chat, Kakashi folded his hands and processed what he had witnessed. First of all, Sasuke had been careful not to let Sakura and Naruto know if he had activated his Sharingan -- he was probably embarrassed about not being able to activate it yet. What puzzled Kakashi the most was how well his team already got along -- and how it was apparently all Sasuke's doing. Sasuke had even asked Sakura and Naruto to join him in the Uchiha compound and as far as Kakashi knew the boy usually avoided letting people in there.

"The boy knows things he shouldn't, things he couldn't," the Hokage had said. "He said that he burned the journals where he got the information -- and I think he just might've -- but it still worries me. He says he has no intention of revealing to Naruto his lineage, but we need to be sure. Keep an eye on him, Kakashi."

So far Kakashi couldn't tell if Naruto knew. And if he didn't, Kakashi didn't know if Sasuke was planning on telling him, either. But if he was going to sit back any longer, his team would kill him. He was late enough as it was. So, with a sigh, he used body flicker and appeared on the rail across from the one his team was leaning on. "Yo!"

"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto greeted him angrily but Sasuke didn't even blink. For a moment Kakashi wondered if the boy had sensed his presence but quickly shook the thought off. He was a Jounin; there was no way a mere Genin would have been able to sense him.

Forgetting the thought, he smiled at his team cheerfully. "Well, to tell you the truth, I saw a bird nest fall from a tree and had to save it before the eggs broke but before I could put it back the three was chopped down and --"

"Liar!" came in duet.

He coughed softly to hide his amusement. "Well, anyway, we better head to the mission office and get us something to do, hm?"

The day went by in pretty much the same fashion as the day before had, as Kakashi's team worked on simple D-rank missions. Not just once but on a couple occasions Kakashi heard Sasuke suggesting that Naruto use his clones, and each and every time Naruto complied. A few times Kakashi would've liked to say that it was cheating… but it wasn't. They were ninja after all and Kage Bunshin was a ninja skill.

The kids didn't talk much when they knew Kakashi was close enough to hear, but when they thought he wasn't they got pretty chatty.  The topics they talked about most were training or missions. One thing Kakashi noticed was that both Sakura and Naruto listened to Sasuke. Another was that Sasuke was always the one between them.

When Naruto would whine about the missions, Sasuke would be the one to tell him that the quicker he could get them done the sooner he would be given tougher ones. When Sakura whined about Naruto, Sasuke was the one to admonish her and remind her that he was a teammate. It was already clear who the leader between the three was -- and surprisingly enough, even Naruto had nothing to say against it.

How Sasuke had established his leadership in the group or when it had happened, Kakashi wasn't sure, but it was there and it was very efficient. In their first meeting Kakashi had detected some dislike between Naruto and his two other team mates -- maybe even a rivalry with Sasuke -- but it didn't seem to be there anymore. And Naruto didn't seem to even notice that it was gone.

Sasuke himself was… cold. No matter how hard he looked, Kakashi didn't see the boy change his expression once; Sasuke did form just the slightest bit of a frown now and then, but that couldn't be named an 'expression' when the rest of his face stayed exactly the same. Most of the time it looked like his face was a mask or picture. His voice also remained the same, flat and toneless. It was rather disconcerting, seeing a twelve-year-old that emotionless, but then again… Sasuke had witnessed a massacre when he had been seven or eight. That kind of thing had an effect on people, especially children.

The Jounin sighed. It was hard to try and determinate changes in someone's character when you had no idea what they had been like before. As he dismissed the kids for the day, he wondered if the academy teachers could offer some personal information about Sasuke.

 

* * *

 

 

"Huh?" Iruka looked up from the scrolls with surprise, seeing Naruto's new teacher looking down at him with a half bored and half serious expression. "Sasuke?"

"He was your student in the Academy, wasn't he? It says so in his file," Kakashi said. "I would like you to tell me something if you have the time."

Iruka frowned slightly before looking down at the scrolls again and beginning to wrap them. Sasuke. Many, many ninjas had come to him before, asking for information about the last Uchiha. The other academy teachers, the Jounin, the Chuunin, the Genin, even some clan heads and the council members… everyone wanted to keep an eye out for the last Uchiha, the prodigy, the number one rookie of his year. Iruka could understand their curiosity and had gotten used to it long ago, but…

It seemed somewhat cruel now. What about Naruto and Sakura, he wanted to ask. Weren't those two Kakashi's student just as Sasuke was? But he wouldn't say such things aloud. Kakashi was higher in rank than he was and as much as Iruka hated it, he could still understand. Who cared about the demon brat and the no-name girl, right? Kakashi had _the_ Uchiha in his team after all.

"What do you want to know?" he asked calmly while getting up to take the scrolls to the safe. It was end of the day. No more missions would be handed out and all the reports had been handed in for the day. He was actually the last one still working in the office. He always worked longer than the rest of the Chuunin. Why, he didn't know exactly, but it had been like that since the beginning.

"What is he like?" Kakashi followed him casually. If it had been a ninja of any other rank Iruka would've admonished the man, but Kakashi was a Jounin. The mission report safe was nothing the man hadn't seen before.

"Well…. As long as I've been his teacher, he has been a loner in the class. He had another teacher before the Massacre, so I can't really tell you what he was like before then." Iruka remembered back to his first year of teaching. Sasuke and Naruto had both been nine then. "But for three years he has been withdrawn in class. He has a strong drive to become stronger and as far as I know he is the most determined in his studies and especially in training. He wasn't the number one rookie for nothing -- the boy is the best among his class. Academically Sakura topped him, but she isn't as good when it comes to Taijutsu, weaponry, survival training, tactics… in those things Sasuke was always the best."

"Has he always been… cold?" Kakashi frowned a little.

"Well, he certainly isn't the warmest person I know," Iruka smiled sadly. He had tried to reach out to the boy three years ago, tried and help him overcome what had happened. Sasuke had already back then relied only on himself. He had never asked for help, had lived alone… Sure, Naruto had been pretty much the same, but Sasuke had had a family and people looking after him at one point. Naruto had been alone all his life, so he hadn't had to go from one way of living to another.

"I'm not a psychiatrist, but Sasuke probably has some mental problems. The main one would be his superiority complex, though he rarely shows it. His need to get stronger is also rather worrisome at times," Iruka continued with a shake of his head. "I think he is trying to get stronger as fast as he can so that he can avenge his clan -- kill his brother."

"He did say that his goal in life was to kill a man. I assumed that he was speaking of his brother." Kakashi nodded. "He doesn't seem to be in a hurry with it, though. Yesterday he said to Sakura that he would _eventually_ kill Itachi. He may realise how long a way he has to go before he will get anywhere near Itachi's level."

"I hope so. He is a brilliant young Shinobi. It would be a pity if his potential was wasted on something like revenge," Iruka murmured.

Kakashi hummed noncommittally before glancing at him. "Do you think Sasuke is loyal to the village?"

The chunin turned to look at the elder ninja with confusion. The man was actually wondering about the loyalties of a twelve-year-old boy? Shaking his head, Iruka scratched the scar on his face. "I think he has no reason to be disloyal."

"Hm… Good. Thank you for this information." The Jounin nodded to him and then abruptly vanished. The Chuunin sighed and shook his head with a small, bitter smile on his lips. While locking up the safe, he wondered if he should ask Naruto for ramen someday. Even if the boy's current teacher had no interest in him, Iruka did and he was going to do his best to ensure that Naruto wouldn't go wanting even as a Genin.

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto sat on the floor, gasping for breath while Sasuke stared at him thoughtfully. They were once again in the dojo and had just finished a sparring match. Naruto had gotten tired earlier than before -- possibly due to the weights -- but that was a good thing. Especially when the blond's blue eyes were sparking with a seriousness that told Sasuke that he would be trying to overcome the handicapping weight as soon as possible.

The raven-haired Genin glanced at the side of the room where Sakura was reading through medicine books. Since he had told the girl about the agility thing, she had been, for some strange reason, determined to find a drug which would help anyone get such agility. Sasuke had no idea why, though. In his opinion she was nimble enough and extra limberness wouldn't help her all that much. But at least she was doing what he wanted, making use of her brain and learning more.

Sitting down on the floor as well, Sasuke wondered when and how he could bring up the speciality of Naruto's clones. The sooner he could let the blond know about their ability to transfer information upon dispelling, the better. That way maybe Naruto would put some of his clones to study and gain the information base he had lacked the last time. Also, with the clones Naruto could do years’ worth of training in a single day -- and that really was something Sasuke wanted to happen. The sooner Naruto began gaining strength, the better. But… there was still time.

He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the quiet sounds of Naruto's panting and Sakura's turning of pages. He hadn't actually ever experienced a moment like this, but he still had missed them. Of all the things he had thrown away, this was the worst and the best thing he had left behind. He had never paid any attention to his team, never explored the possibilities of Naruto's endless potential and Sakura's equally endless intelligence. In his absence Naruto had then grown into a monster of a Shinobi and Sakura an equally fearsome medic-nin, and he had never truly had any part in it.

But this time… this time no Orochimaru or Itachi would break their team up; heck, he wouldn't even allow Kakashi to do it. No, this time he would hold onto these fragile bonds until they were as sturdy and strong as the future GreatNarutoBridge. And that bridge certainly wouldn't burn under any flame.

"Maan, these weights are killing me," Naruto groaned while flopping to his back, making a rather loud clang as he did so. "Ouch… now they're digging into my skin…"

Sasuke looked at him and wished he could've given the blond's antics a smile. Instead he just looked down and tilted his head a bit. Eventually, though… eventually he would be able to smile. If anyone could help him relearn emotions, it was Naruto. Shaking his head and pushing the thought away, he started to stand up again. "I'm going to get something to drink. Naruto, make a clone to help me."

"Slave driver," Naruto groaned from the floor, but brought his hands into the right seal. Another Naruto, just as tired as the first one, popped into existence and sluggishly followed Sasuke out of the dojo.

"How is the weight training coming along?" Sasuke asked the clone as they crossed the backyard and headed for the main house.

The clone looked at him with surprise. Apparently Naruto wasn't used to having his clones talk, so it hadn't expected him to start a conversation. "Um… Good, I guess. I feel lighter every time I take them off, so I guess it's working. I'm not used to them yet, though."

"Hm… it will take some time, but you will," Sasuke said with a nod. "It will be worth it then -- you'll be able to move faster and be physically stronger. Though I think it's best to get heavier weights then and continue the training."

"I get the idea behind the whole weight training, but why do I have to wear them all the time?" the Naruto-clone looked at the black weight on his wrist, disguised as a wristband. "Like with missions and such, wouldn't I be able to work better without them?"

"Maybe, but you wouldn't get as much training. Besides, when you go on with the weights, you'll appear weaker. Once we get tougher missions and actually need to fight some opponents, it will be an advantage."

The clone looked at him strangely. "How is being weaker an advantage?"

"Not being, _appearing_ ," Sasuke corrected, remembering one Rock Lee they hadn't met yet. "The weights make you appear to be a certain level of strength, but when you remove them you will be faster and stronger than you are with them. That way you will not only grow stronger each moment, but you'll have the element of surprise every time you take off the weights."

"Ooh, I see." The Naruto clone nodded seriously as they entered the main house. "That actually makes sense." They headed to the kitchen where they began making the drinks. While Sasuke wondered if he should begin buying some sort of energy drinks for them, Naruto’s clone spoke again. "You know, I've been thinking. Sakura's been trying to find that agility-drug or whatever it is. Do you think there might be something like that for muscles, you know… make me able to handle the weights quicker?"

Sasuke looked at the clone with surprise. Coming from Naruto -- even a clone -- that was pretty insightful. "I don't know," he admitted. "You could ask Sakura. If the library has something about that, she'll be able to find it."

"Hm," the clone nodded. Once they were ready with the simple drinks, they headed back to the dojo, the clone trailing after Sasuke, carrying the tray. After handing Sakura and original Naruto their drinks, the clone opened his mouth to recite what he had talked about with Sasuke. Before he could speak, though, Sasuke stopped him.

"Just dispel," he said, causing the clone look at him with confusion. "Trust me."

While Naruto and Sakura both looked up with curiosity, the clone hesitated, then vanished with a curl of chakra-smoke. Naruto blinked with surprise, lowering his glass slowly. Then he grinned. "Hey, I hadn't thought of that," he said. "That's kinda cool."

"Thought of what?" Sakura asked with confusion, lowering the book she had been reading.

"That with the weights my strength will be a surprise," the blond grinned. "Sasuke told my clone about it when they were getting the drinks. When I have the weights on I'll move slower and stuff, so people will always underestimate me and I can surprise them with my real strength."

"Huh?" Sakura asked with surprise. "I didn't know you experience the things your clones do."

"I think it's more like memory transfer upon dispelling," Sasuke said while taking his drink. "As far as I can tell, the Kage Bunshin divides Naruto's chakra between him and the clone -- the clone is just as physical as Naruto and with an equal portion of his chakra. When the clone dispels, the chakra returns to Naruto and along with it the reminiscences of the events the clone experienced."

"Huh?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"Basically, you'll get your clone's memories," Sasuke said. It had been Itachi who had told him about it. That was how Naruto had managed to create the devastating attack, Rasen Shuriken, so quickly. Naruto had defeated one of the Akatsuki members with it, bringing it to Itachi's attention.

"That… could be incredibly handy." Sakura stood up and joined them in the middle of the dojo's floor. "Naruto could have his clones reading and studying and doing things like that, and once they dispelled he would get the information without actually needing to spend his own time on it." Her eyes were wide. "Oh, what I would give for an ability like that!"

"Umh… I don't think I can teach the Kage Bunshin to you, though," Naruto said with a frown. "After I learned it, the Third said that I can use it as easily as I can because I have more stamina than most people. Other people could exhaust themselves to death with the Kage Bunshin. That's why it's a Kinjutsu in the first place."

Sasuke nodded in agreement while Sakura looked dismayed. "Do you think there is a way to increase your stamina and chakra capability, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, turning to Sasuke.

"As far as I know with training you can double it," the raven-haired boy answered thoughtfully. "But that's about it. Unless you try some dangerous techniques like the Celestial Gates or some of the skills of the Akamichi clan, but like I said, they are very dangerous and probably not worth it in the long run to try increasing your chakra reserves."

He leaned back. "The amount of chakra you have isn't everything, though. I've heard that with chakra control you can turn even a small drop of chakra into a very deadly attack," he looked at her thoughtfully. "Kunoichi rarely have vast amounts of chakra; that is why they usually concentrate on control and manipulation rather than quantity of their chakra."

"Hmm…" Sakura nodded. "That makes sense. Still pisses me off, though. With two clones Naruto can do two days’ worth of training. With ten clones it's ten days per one day…"

"How many clones can you make?" Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"I… haven't counted. The first time I made them it was a thousand, but…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "But I didn't even break a sweat so… so I think I can make more. But like said, I can't really _count_ them. I just make them as I need them."

"A thousand…" Sakura bowed her head in dismay and defeat. "This is so unfair…!"

"Hmm… a thousand." Sasuke nodded. "We need to find the best way to apply Naruto's skills, to make sure that we will get all the potential out of it… that he'll get the optimal training."

"Um… Sasuke-kun? It's rather incredible that Naruto can do things like that, but…" Sakura looked up with a hesitating look. "But _why_ should we do anything about it? You guys are training hard as it is. What's the hurry? And… like that, with a thousand clones, Naruto could become stronger than you."

"That's the point," Sasuke said before Naruto could boast or get sulky. Both his team mates turned to look at him with shock and he answered their looks with a flat look of his own. "Naruto is going to become the Hokage," he said, causing Sakura's eyes to widen with shock. "He needs to become stronger than anyone else in this village. And if it's within my ability, I will help him any way I can."

While Naruto was struck speechless, their female team mate looked horrified. "Naruto? _Hokage_?!" Sakura asked with shock, shaking her head. Then she took a look of amused disbelief. "Sasuke-kun, you actually believe that load of --?!"

"I do," Sasuke answered simply, while looking at Naruto seriously. "And like said; I'm going help make it happen."

 

* * *

 

 

Sakura thought about what Sasuke said the rest of the day, long into the night, and during the next day. While they worked on the simple D-rank missions, she found that she still didn't understand. Why would Sasuke, the number one rookie, the genius, want someone like Naruto to become the Hokage? Why would he help a dead-last like Naruto? Sasuke had much more of a chance of becoming Hokage than Naruto ever would, right?

But Sasuke's words had been steady and the look in his eyes had been serious. Sasuke hadn't just said that he would help Naruto; he fully intended to do his very best to make their blond idiot of a teammate Hokage. Or if not that, then at least the strongest one of their team. And they hadn't even been a team for all that long! It really made no sense.

Finally she gave up wondering. While they were cleaning up trash from a river bank, Sakura turned to her black-haired teammate. "Sasuke-kun, why do you want to help someone like Naruto become Hokage?" she asked. "He's the dead-last of the class, isn't he? Someone like him doesn't have any chance --"

"Sakura. Stop thinking inside the box." Sasuke's answer was cold and blunt. "The academy is over, we're not students anymore, and whatever scores we or he got have no weight in the real world. We are Shinobi now."

"But… Naruto is still kind of idiotic, isn't he?"

"He's much more than that. You and the rest of the village from Hokage to newborn baby are all arrogant and blind if you can't see it." Sasuke's words were even sharper now. "If you haven't seen Naruto's potential by now then I really pity you, Sakura, because like that you will never grow as a person."

"I know he has great amounts of chakra -- we talked about it just yesterday --" she began saying, but was interrupted.

"Like I said, I pity you. It's not just the chakra or the Kage Bunshin I'm talking about. It's his _mind_ and most of all his personality," he threw a flat look at her. "You don't see it because you have parents and they’ve taught you to turn a blind eye to it. But… just once, walk down a busy street with Naruto. Look at the people around you -- look at them very closely -- and then look at him. If you don't know what I'm talking about by then… then you will never again be welcomed at the Uchiha compound."

Sakura froze in between steps as Sasuke continued walking. Walk down a busy street with Naruto? What did that mean? Glancing towards the blond who -- with three clones -- was walking on the other side of the river, she frowned. Not being able to visit Sasuke at the Uchiha complex was a threat indeed. _Fine, I'll do it. I'll figure out what you mean, Sasuke-kun. And I will either understand what you see or make you understand what I see. And right now I see nothing but an idiot._

Behind her, Kakashi had a very thoughtful look on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

After they were done with the day's chores, the three Genin headed together towards the Uchiha compound. Sasuke made sure to lead them through the busiest street in the entirety of the Hidden Leaf, carefully keeping an eye on Sakura -- and on Kakashi, who was secretly following them. Would the two see what he could now see, what he hadn't seen until it had been entirely too late?

It was barely noticeable, but it was there and it was intense. Ever since Sasuke had noticed it, it had been prickling on his skin every time he was walking with Naruto on streets like this. How people would glance at Naruto and frown just a little bit, how their eyes would narrow, how their mouths would turn into strict lines, and how most of them would tilt their heads just so that they were looking at the blond down their noses… It wasn't just displeasure towards someone who used to throw village-wide pranks like defiling the Hokage monument. No, it was deep-rooted hate burning at low flame, one that had been going on for so long that it was ingrained into these streets.

And what did Naruto do? He crossed his fingers behind his head and he smiled. It wasn't even the inane grin that led into half deranged laughter. No, this smile was reserved only for moments like these. Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto even realised he was doing it, but the smile he was smiling was a sad and gentle one. Somewhere in the back of his head, Sasuke knew that Naruto was smiling at those who had suffered in the demon's attack twelve years ago.

Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto was able to do it, though. He was sure that if it had been him, he wouldn't have been able to. The villagers hated Naruto for something he hadn't even done, but instead of hating them back, Naruto smiled. He smiled and he understood with silent grace and a strange gentleness. This Naruto wasn't the village idiot, he wasn't the dead-last, and he wasn't the prankster. This Naruto, the Naruto who understood and accepted… this was the Naruto who had been his best friend, who hadn't given up on him even when he had deserted the village. This was the Naruto who had chased against the odds and after him. This was also the Naruto who would become his Hokage -- no matter if he gained the title or not, one day Naruto _would_ be his Hokage.

But would Kakashi and Sakura understand like he had? Glancing to the girl walking behind him, Sasuke saw that she was trying to understand, trying to see what Sasuke had tried to make her see, trying to see what Sasuke saw. But could she? She would eventually see and even understand, but that Sakura had been fifteen years old, that Sakura had experienced Sasuke's betrayal and flight, that Sakura had forced herself to grow up. This Sakura was still a child. Could a child with a happy background and loving parents understand something like this?

Could Kakashi? Sasuke couldn't look at the Jounin or see his expressions as he man was carefully hidden among the crowd. Sasuke had known that the man was there, that the man had been listening earlier. Kakashi now knew that he was planning on helping Naruto become stronger. The man would probably eventually report it to the Hokage -- if he hadn't already. Sasuke wanted them to understand that Naruto's father had nothing to do with it. He wanted them to understand this. Whether they really would... that was left to be seen.

This all went unnoticed by the blond himself. Naruto simply kept on smiling. In that moment the demon container was both ignorant and wiser than anyone else in the village. While lowering his eyes, Sasuke understood that in a way, Naruto had always been stronger than he was. Chakra control and strength, Ninjutsu and Sharingan… they had nothing on that smile on Naruto's face.

 _I wonder how hard it was for you, Naruto_ , the black-haired Genin thought silently. _I had a family at one point; I had people taking care of me, people to love me... but you really had no one until lately. Yet I've never seen you cry for yourself. Never seen you break down. Never seen you depressed at all. It makes me wonder if you've always known about the Nine Tails. Have you always known the burden you bear... or was it revealed just some time ago and you only now understand the reason for the hate?_

Did it even matter? Naruto was Naruto no matter what past, what burdens or what lineage he had. It didn't matter what he had experienced, it didn't matter that he was the container of the Nine Tails, it didn't matter that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage. Naruto was Naruto and that was all Sasuke would ever need.

 _You'll become stronger. It doesn't matter if I help you or not, you'll become stronger regardless of my efforts._ The black-haired Genin looked forward steadily. _But I will help you nonetheless. No, that is_ why _I am helping you._

Beside him, he heard how Sakura took a deep breath. Turning to look at her, Sasuke saw how she looked between the people and Naruto. As a ninja she had been taught how to decipher facial expressions, so she knew just as Sasuke did what those looks and the slightest changes in demeanour meant. As she looked helplessly up at Sasuke, the boy answered her look with a steady look of his own. "How long?" her eyes asked.

"Always," he answered as he turned to look away. As he sensed Sakura moving a few inches closer to Naruto, he knew that another person had begun to realise Naruto's true worth.

At the same time, Kakashi's presence vanished.

 

* * *

 

 

"...Sasuke is right," Kakashi's report of what he had witnessed ended. "You need to tell Naruto who he really is. He _deserves_ to know, more than you probably even realise."

The Hokage sighed, bowing his head slightly. It wasn't like he hadn't known -- of course he had. The village had never really bullied Naruto, never harmed him in any fashion... but the cold stares, the glares, the words, the whispers, the names... they had always been a part of Naruto's life. Before the boy had found out the truth of it, he had been confused about it all, had asked over and over why people were so mean to him... but when he had found out the truth, he had changed. It was a nearly unnoticeable change, but it was enormous nonetheless.

Naruto hadn't thrown big pranks like he had previously. There hadn't been village-sized mayhem. He hadn't gotten into fights with shopkeepers after they unjustly asked for higher prices; he hadn't whined about the unfairness. He stopped picking fights, and no longer did he try to get attention like he had previously. And the smile... it was the very same smile the fourth Hokage had smiled down upon Naruto just before dying.

Naruto understood. And apparently Sasuke understood too -- he understood more than anyone had ever thought. As disconcerting as it was to think that Sasuke knew a big secret like Naruto's true lineage... it was far more comforting to know that the last Uchiha was supporting Naruto. Together those two just might be able to make it... to the top of the tree known as Hidden Leaf.

"Yes," the Hokage admitted sadly, long after Kakashi left. "I need to tell Naruto. I need to and I will."

 

* * *

 

 

That day Naruto left their sparring session a bit early because Iruka had had invited him for ramen. The blond had -- reluctantly -- asked Sasuke and Sakura to come along with him, but the two had declined the offer. Not only did Naruto clearly want to spend time alone with his favourite teacher, but Sasuke and Sakura had things to discuss alone as well.

"Why?" was Sakura's first confused question. "Why do people look at him like that? Is it because of the pranks? Why would pranks entitle someone to look at another like that? And not just someone, but _everyone_ …"

Sasuke faced her confused eyes steadily before looking up at the sky. They were sitting on the porch of the dojo, as they hadn't had any real need to head back inside after they had bid goodbye to their blond team mate. "I won't lie and tell you that I don't know. I know why the villagers hate him -- and the pranks really have nothing to do with it… but I can't tell you the truth either. It's not my secret to share. It's Naruto's and only he can tell."

"He told you?" Sakura asked quietly.

"No. He doesn't know that I know, and that is the way things are going to remain for a while." Sasuke shook his head. "I want him to tell me on his own once he trusts me enough -- and maybe he will tell you too, who knows. Now he is probably too insecure to tell anyone."

"Insecure? Naruto?" Sakura asked, but quieted down at Sasuke's flat look. With a sigh she pulled her bent knees against her chest and hugged them. "Sorry," she murmured as she remembered the walk through the crowd.

"He smiles so much because he is insecure, I guess." Sasuke shook his head. "The last thing he wants to do is to bother people… so he has learned to keep everything inside. He never asks for help or tells anyone about his worries because of the fear of bothering someone with them…" He closed his eyes idly. "I always thought that I was self-sufficient, but in comparison to Naruto I have things easy. He has never had any family to count on, anyone to care for him… so he has cared for himself."

It was really strange that Naruto hadn't grown cold and uncaring. Always by himself with everyone hating him… it was a wonder Naruto hadn't turned out like Gaara. But then again, Gaara's own father had been trying to assassinate him since he had been a little kid. Naruto had been left in peace, somewhat anyway.

Sakura was quiet while staring down at the ground over her knees. Then she looked up. "Is that why you want to help him, Sasuke-kun? Because you're alike?"

"No." Sasuke snorted. "There are many like me and I wouldn't help any of them like I want to help Naruto. I want to help him because despite what people have done to him, despite how they treat him… he still smiles at them. Still tries to help them." He lowered his eyes and let them wander over the empty houses. "I guess I'm hoping that he can help me too, eventually."

"Help you with what?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Help me rebuild my clan and make it better than it was." Lowering his eyes to his hands, he clenched them into fists. "Help me rebuild myself…"

"Yourself?" Sakura looked up now with surprised confusion. Then she blinked sharply. "Help you rebuild your clan? Don't you usually need a male and a _female_ for that?" She blushed. "I mean… Naruto can't really help you with that… um…"

The last Uchiha rolled his eyes. "A clan like mine is more than people with same name, Sakura. Traditions, beliefs, morals… they can be far more important and Naruto will help me with those. Never mind that." The black-haired boy shook his head and looked up again. "Do you see Naruto as mere dead-last now, Sakura? Or can you see what I can?"

The girl looked away and smiled carefully. She leaned her chin on her knees and looked up. "Maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all," she murmured quietly. "He is still an idiot most of the time, though."

Sasuke glanced at her before looking away. "Maybe a little," he admitted emotionlessly, causing her to giggle quietly.

 

* * *

 

 

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled happily at the sight of his favourite teacher. The Chuunin was standing before Ichiraku with his hands in his pockets, clearly waiting. The blond felt a rush of warmth inside him as the man turned to look at him with a wide smile. So far there were only three people -- old man Hokage, Konohamaru and Iruka -- who smiled at him like, so he knew to cherish that smile. "Did you wait for long?" he asked after running up to the man.

"It was worth waiting." The dark-haired ninja smiled while reaching to ruffle Naruto's blond hair. "Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm _starving_."

"Me too." Naruto skipped into the stall happily and ordered himself a bowl of pork ramen -- which Iruka would pay for, of course. "You work in the mission office now, don't you? What is it like working there? I bet it's easier than working at the academy."

"I'm only working in the office until the next semester begins, then I'll return to teaching. And I wouldn't say it's easier, but it is quieter." The Chuunin grinned, ordering some food for himself too. "But I like working in the academy the most." He glanced at the boy sitting beside him. "How have you been? Working in a Genin team is different from studying in the academy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it's just as boring," Naruto murmured, sinking low on his seat and resting his chin against the wood of the counter. "We only get crappy, boring D-rank missions, which are crappy and boring as hell," he sighed heavily. "But Sasuke says that someone needs to do them -- and that the sooner we get enough D-ranks done, the quicker we'll get to start on C-ranks… And I get to use my clones in almost every mission so I guess it could be worse…."

Surprisingly enough, the teacher didn't reprimand him about his crude language. "Sasuke said that, hm?" Iruka asked instead, leaning on his elbows and measuring him with his eyes. "How has your team been? Do you like working alongside Sakura and Sasuke?"

"Hmm… yeah. Sasuke isn't even nearly as much of a bastard as I thought -- he's actually nice in his uber cool way." Naruto rolled his eyes and grinned. "We spar together every day, Sasuke and me. Sakura doesn't join us that much, she usually just reads Sasuke's books and scrolls while we spar. Did you know that Sasuke has his own library? Well, we kinda made it, but still. Who has their own library?"

"You get along then?" Iruka asked with a smile, looking up as Teuchi, Ichiraku's owner, handed them their bowls of ramen. "Thank you," the teacher said before taking chopsticks for both himself and Naruto.

Taking the chopsticks Iruka handed him, Naruto grinned. "Yeah, a helluva lot better than I thought we would. Sasuke has even come up with a training method for me -- which only I in our cell can use. Sasuke can't because of some weird Uchiha thing and Sakura is a girl -- and who cares about Kakashi anyway… Hmm… Ramen…" He snapped the chopsticks apart happily. "Itadakimasu!"

"Oh, training method?" Iruka asked while gathering some noodles with his chopsticks. "What kind?"

"'eigh' 'ain'," Naruto answered with his mouth full. After swallowing he tried again. "Weight training. He bought me these things." He patted one of his two black wristbands. "They're weights. I have ankle weights and a weighed vest too. These are pretty light compared to some the shop had, but you gotta start somewhere, right?"

"It's a pretty old training method; it’s rare for ninja to use it these days…" Iruka looked thoughtful. "It was deemed a bit dangerous when some ninja got carried away with the weight. But I guess with low amounts of weight, it will be both safe and useful. Sasuke came up with it, huh?"

"Yeah." Naruto smiled a little. "He wants to help me become strong."

"That's a bit unlike him." Iruka frowned a little.

"Who knows," the blond said, shrugging. "He said that he wants me to become a Hokage he can respect, or something like that. And I will, of course. Not just for him, though, but for you and for Konohamaru… every one of my precious people."

Iruka looked at him with surprise. Then the Chuunin smiled and threw his arm around the boy. "I know you will, Naruto," he said softly. "And I'll be there the day you'll get that title, cheering for you."

The blond smirked widely at him. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei! I'll become strong and be the best Hokage ever!"

 

* * *

 

 

After Naruto had left, Iruka looked after him with a worried frown. Sasuke of all people wanted to help Naruto become Hokage? That didn't sound like the last Uchiha at all. Kakashi's earlier questions in mind, the Chuunin thought back to the behaviour of the latest number one rookie. The boy had been cold, uncaring and withdrawn all the while he had taught him. Sasuke was actually cheering Naruto on, helping him become strong? Yeah, that didn't seem like Sasuke at all.

But then again… people changed. Sasuke certainly had the right to change. Maybe friendship with someone like Naruto would be good for him -- and gods knew Naruto needed more friends. He had been worried that Naruto would end up fighting with Sasuke, but thankfully it didn't seem to be so.

"Wants to help him become strong, hm?" Iruka murmured thoughtfully while heading towards his apartment. He had done all he could for Naruto in the academy, but the blond didn't do well in controlled environments. The Kage Bunshin proved it -- not only difficult but dangerous Kinjutsu, and the boy had mastered it in matter of hours and had done it without help. Naruto probably learned best without studying and reading, through some complicated method -- going backwards was the right way for Naruto. Again Kage Bunshin proved it -- the boy couldn't make a normal Bunshin to save his life, but Kage Bunshin came easily to him.

The Chuunin chuckled, looking up to the sky before glancing towards the Hokage monument. _I don't know your motives, I don't know why… and I don't really care either. If you're really determined to make Naruto Hokage, then… good luck, Sasuke. I think you're going to need it._


	5. Discomforting Instincts

_It's about time,_ Sasuke mused to himself while watching Naruto forcefully drag an orange cat towards the Hokage tower. Their latest mission had been the only D-rank Sasuke could remember from the last time around, the "finding a lost pet" mission. It had been far more annoying than he had remembered, though. It had taken the entire morning to find the damn cat, and they’d had plenty of Naruto's clones at their disposal.

 _If I remember correctly, Naruto got fed up just after this mission and demanded a better one…_ Sasuke mused. _After which we were assigned a C-rank, the mission to the_ _Land_ _of_ _Waves_ _… the mission which turned into an A-rank, where I unlocked my Sharingan and where Naruto, I think, used the demon's chakra for the first time…_

He had been contemplating whether he should allow the mission to happen or not. It had been a risky one; Zabuza and Haku had been formidable opponents even for Kakashi. Yet… in that mission they had all grown so much. Kakashi had finally taught them something, Naruto had taken the first steps of establishing his own way of ninja -- which as ridiculous as it had appeared would be very important later on. Even Sakura had grown during that mission -- her superior chakra control had finally come to their attention.

He had ended up with the conclusion that despite the risks, it was better if the mission did take place as it had. He couldn't deny his teammates their opportunity to grow -- especially not Naruto. There was also something that had happened during the mission, something that he had forgotten… and he desperately wanted to remember what it was.

Once they got to the Hokage tower, the cat was in a near panic, Naruto had scratches all over him and the cat's owner was waiting for them. It looked like she was badgering the Shinobi of the mission office -- and the Hokage who apparently had enough time that day to be present.

"You found my cute little Tora-chan!" the woman squealed out and Sasuke quickly tuned her out while Naruto quickly  handed over the cat. Letting the Chuunin who was managing the payments handle the woman and her cat, their team moved forward to get another mission.

"Now… Team seven, your next duty is…" The Hokage looked over the piece of paper he had written on. Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling something akin to amusement. Nowadays the office needed to set aside missions for their team because sometimes they finished three times as many of them as other teams per day -- all thanks to Naruto's shadow clones.

"Hm… Babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in a neighbouring village, and help with potato digging," the Third continued, looking at the paper with a flat look before breathing in through the pipe at his lips. "With Naruto's clones you should have plenty of time to finish all these today…"

"No, no, no thank you! No more of these crappy missions!" Naruto held his hands up, making a cutting motion as if to split apart the very notion of more D-ranks. "We've painted fences, picked up crap, shopped for old people, repaired buildings, fixed pavements… and who knows what else! How many more chores we need to do before you'll give us a proper mission?!"

Sasuke glanced at the blond with satisfaction while Sakura looked slightly pissed off and Kakashi sighed heavily. The Uchiha had slight suspicion that this wasn't exactly what Naruto had said the last time, but it worked nonetheless.

"Naruto, you idiot!" Iruka, who had been sitting beside the Hokage, jumped to stand. "You're just a rookie! Everyone starts off with simple duties and works their way up!"

"But we keep getting the crappiest possible duties!" Naruto whined angrily. "And you've said it yourself; we finish in a third of the time other teams use! I mean, come on!"

Kakashi sighed and stepped closer to Naruto. "Be quiet, you," he snapped, and tried to hit the loud blond over the head. He didn't though, stopping when Sasuke glared at the man over Naruto's head. Instead the man coughed awkwardly and gave Sasuke a strange look.

Their awkward interaction was interrupted by the Hokage. "Naruto, it seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about," the old man said while taking the pipe from his lips. "Every day the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting… to assassination." He motioned to the scrolls before him. "Each request is written down on these lists and divided into A, B, C and D ranking based on difficulty…"

Sasuke glanced at his blond team mate as Naruto rolled his eyes. The blond spoke up. "Yes, yes, Genin work generally on the lowest ranking while Chuunin work on mid ranking and Jounin work on high ranking missions -- I know. Sasuke and Sakura both told me all about it." He folded his hands angrily.

"… right. Anyway, you kids just recently became Genin," the Hokage said with a cough. "D-rank missions are perfect for you."

"We've already completed loads of D-ranks. Aren't Genin supposed to get some C-ranks too?" Naruto asked with a pout. "How am I ever going to become stronger like this? No, wait, this is probably some form of punishment, isn't it? You still think of me just another trouble-making brat, don't you?! Well, am not! But how can I prove myself if you won't let me even try?"

While Kakashi had a long-suffering look on his face, Sasuke looked away with hidden approval. He wasn't the only one. Surprised, Iruka had begun to smile and the Third smiled as well as he breathed in through his pipe.

"Alright then," the Third said, leaning his elbows on the desk. "If you want it that much, I'll give you a C-rank mission. It's a protection mission, you will be watching over a certain individual."

 _Good,_ Sasuke nodded to himself while Naruto stepped forward, demanding to know who they would be protecting. "Calm down," the Hokage said while nodding to one of the Chuunin to fetch their 'protectee'. "I'll introduce him to you."

Tazuna was pretty much as Sasuke remembered -- he was tall, had glasses, a piece of rope tied was around his head, his hair was white, and he was drunk. "What's this?" the bridge builder asked while being led into the mission office. "They're all just brats. Are these really the ones that are supposed to protect me? They don't look like much -- especially the midget with a stupid-looking face. Are you really ninja?"

"What did you say?!" Naruto growled, about to attack the man, but stayed still as Sasuke reached to touch his shoulder. The blond glanced at him and met his calm look with a frown, but calmed down. "Bastard old man…" Naruto just muttered. "Who is this guy anyway?"

"I'm an expert bridge builder, Tazuna!" the spectacled man proclaimed, looking at them with an annoyed on about his face. "And I expect you to provide me with protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge I'm currently building."

Naruto grumbled but merely folded his hands. Sasuke squeezed his shoulder before lowering his hand again. This interaction wasn't missed by Kakashi, who gave Sasuke another calculating look before speaking out. "Well then, guys; pack up your things -- and make it enough to last for a while. We'll meet at the gates in twenty minutes."

 

* * *

 

 

The Third Hokage smiled to himself while team seven headed out of the room. Naruto was definitely coming along interestingly. Before, the boy had only been able to express himself through pranks and stupid jokes, but it seemed like things were certainly changing.

"Sasuke has a good effect on him," Iruka murmured beside him with a smile while looking down at the mission scrolls. The Hokage turned to look at the teacher with curious eyes. The Chuunin shrugged. "I don't know why but it seems like Sasuke has taken in onto himself to help Naruto become Hokage. As far as I know, he has been helping Naruto and Sakura train since Kakashi's bell test."

"Really?" The Third blinked with surprise before frowning. Kakashi had suggested the same thing, but… hearing it from another source pretty much confirmed it. Was it because of Naruto's lineage? No, he realised, remembering what Kakashi had said. Naruto's lineage had probably been the turning point, but that wasn't all that there was.

"He has chosen an interesting goal for himself." The Hokage leaned back. "It's very unlike a Shinobi to uptake that kind of loyalty, especially at such an age. And what’s more, Sasuke is the genius of his class and Naruto… was the dead-last. Logically it should be the other way around…" But reason told him that it was exactly as it should've been. Sasuke was genius enough to see what Naruto could become long before the blond had even taken the steps towards that future.

The old man sighed. He hadn't managed to come up with the right way of telling Naruto about his father, but it was beginning to weigh heavily on his heart. While turning to look at the files he promised -- swore, even -- that he would tell the truth to Naruto the moment the boy returned from the mission.

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke glanced up at the sky while walking towards the gates of the Hidden Leaf, resting his wrist idly on the handle of his recently chosen weapon. It had been a bit strange, going to the Uchiha armoury when in the past he had avoided it -- those had been the weapons of his clan, still were… back in his real past touching them had felt sacrilegious, so he had bought his own instead. But this time...this time the sentimental value wasn't there. Still… it had been strange. The armoury had been like a dome of time. There had been weapons as old as the village there, from the time of the very first Uchiha… thousands of different kinds of weapons, of dozens of different styles and shapes for just as many purposes…

But of all the more or less fancy weapons in the Uchiha armoury, he had picked a rather simple and crude shobu tantou. It was his choice because it had felt the closest to his chokuto, which had been his chosen weapon after Orochimaru had begun teaching him Kenjutsu. Sure, there were other swords in the armoury -- mostly ninja-tos -- but they hadn't felt right in his hands. Probably because unlike the tantou he had picked, none of the swords had a wooden handle just like his chokuto's.

It was strange how a weapon could bring someone a sensation of comfort. The tantou was short, a knife really, so it was no proper substitute for the chokuto. Being as short as he currently was, using longer weapons would've been awkward. On top of that, he needed to re-teach his body the right way of fighting with a sword. But even so, having the tantou with him made him breathe a little bit easier.

 _It seems like I won't be able to shake off Orochimaru's teachings…_ he mused to himself. The reason why he had taken the tantou with him wasn't because of the comfort it offered, though. It was because of the fights that would soon come. Sure, he could probably handle them without any special weapons, but you never knew. Things could radically change and he wanted to be ready if something like that would happen.

"Oi, Sasuke, wait up!" Naruto's voice called from behind him, causing him to stop for a moment. The blond quickly caught up to him, panting slightly. "Hah, at least I'm not late." He grinned and then noticed the blade. "What's that?"

"A knife from the Uchiha armoury," Sasuke said, gripping hold of the handle and pulling a few inches of the blade out of the sheath. "I figured that since we're going out of the village, I might as well bring something special with me."

"It kinda looks like a sword." Naruto looked curious. "I didn't know you used swords."

"I don't. Not yet." Sasuke shrugged and pushed the tantou back into its sheath. "But you need to start from somewhere."

"I guess so." The blond nodded seriously but didn't seem to really understand. But it didn't seem to bother him too much. "So! Finally a C-rank mission! This is what we've been waiting for, right? Are you excited?"

Sasuke glanced at the boy walking beside him. Naruto really did have an extremely short attention span when it came to things he wasn't really interested in. _I need to work on that…_ the black-haired Genin thought and turned to look forward. "Not as much as you, apparently," he said. It was pretty obvious, the blond's anticipation. Naruto had a wide grin on his face and a skip in his step.

"Well, this will be the first time I've gone outside the village," the demon container grinned. "Even though it's with such a sucky client, it's still a pretty big thing for me." His smile faded a little. "At one time I wasn't sure if I would ever see the world outside those walls…"

"Huh?" Sasuke glanced at him sharply.

"Uh… well, there are all these regulations of how and when you can leave the village," the blond shrugged with a pout. "Shinobi can only leave for missions or with the Hokage's approval. Even the civilians need to have specific reasons for leaving or they can't leave -- or enter. For a while I wasn't sure if I would ever get permission…"

Sasuke blinked slowly. "Because of the test back at the academy? I heard you failed it twice before getting the head band…" Three times actually, as he had failed the last test as well. Sasuke wasn't really sure how Naruto had been allowed to pass but he suspected it had something to do with Naruto's Kage Bunshins.

"Yeah." Naruto looked down at the ground. Then he looked up and grinned. "But I passed and now I'll get to see how the world is outside. Not just with this mission, once we've finished this one we'll go on another and another… and see all the world has to offer to us."

The Uchiha looked at him for a moment before turning his eyes away. If Naruto hadn't become a Shinobi, there was no way he would've ever been allowed to leave the village, for any reason. As much as the village hated the demon Naruto contained, they couldn't allow him leave for fear of him ending up in another set of hands. Hosts like Naruto were trained into weapons like Gaara most of the time. Even if Naruto's predicament was because it had been the only way to save Hidden Leaf… Sasuke doubted the other villages would've seen it like that.

The Nine Tails was no doubt the most powerful one of all the nine beasts. Heck, the Nine Tail's host alone was stronger than the One Tail. If a greedy, skilled master had gotten their hands on Naruto… what kind of Shinobi could he have become, what kind of monster? The thought was frightening enough already.

But Naruto didn't know this. He didn't know any of the possible futures he could've had, had things been different. What if the Third had trained Naruto as a weapon? What if he'd locked up Naruto as a safety precaution? What if he'd sent Naruto away to grow up someplace else? What if the Third had hidden the truth entirely from the village and no one had known that Naruto carried a demon inside his belly? What if he’d had a family? What if this and what if that…

Despite everything, Sasuke wanted to change nothing in Naruto's past. People were the products of the events which had happened to them. If something in the past had been different… so would Naruto. There were thousands of different ways things could've gone, thousands of different Naruto's who could've resulted from those ways… but Sasuke preferred to have this one.

"Don't worry," he found himself saying as he looked up at the gates where Kakashi, their client, and Sakura were already waiting. "We'll see the world. One day we may even travel together and see all it has to offer us."

The blond smiled at him widely. "I'd like that."

Sasuke nodded. He wanted Naruto to become strong and maybe even become Hokage, but he knew… that he couldn't contain the blond, couldn't chain him to the village no matter how he wanted. The farther Naruto got, the stronger his ties to the Leaf became. The freer he was, the stronger his bonds to the people around him became… and Sasuke needed to have that bond. So instead of trying to contain his friend, to keep him near, he would make sure that Naruto was always free.

 _Who knew this would be so complicated? Who knew that Naruto would be so complicated?_ he asked himself, flexing his hand on the tantou's handle before relaxing it again. It didn't matter, though. Naruto was going to keep him grounded and together they would build a better future -- for themselves and for the world. That was all that mattered. If he could chain himself better only by letting his keeper loose… then that was what he was going to do.

"Oi, come along, you two!" Kakashi called from the gates. "We need to get going!"

"Yeah, let's go!" the demon container called and began to run. The Uchiha looked after him and sighed before hurrying after him. Naruto could go as far and as fast as he wanted… but this time Sasuke wouldn't let it break their bond. This time he would try to follow -- and not get ahead.

"What are you so excited about?" Sakura asked Naruto, who was looking around excitedly the moment they passed the gates. The blond excitedly told her about it being his first time out of the village, which made Tazuna frown.

"Hey!" the man called back to Kakashi. "Am I really going to be safe with this brat?"

"Hehe." Kakashi looked awkward. "Well, even though he and Sasuke and Sakura are only rookies, I am a Jounin. There’s no need to worry."

As Naruto ground his teeth together hard, Sasuke passed by him. "Being underestimated is better than being overestimated. Low expectations are easier to meet and overcome," he murmured to the blond in a tone so low that even Kakashi shouldn't be able to hear him. "And don't forget the element of surprise."

Naruto glanced at him before grinning. Then he threw a look at Tazuna. "Believe what you want, old man," he simply said before stepping to walk beside Sasuke. The raven-haired Genin nodded with satisfaction.

As they began walking, Sasuke was sure that they were being followed. He made no mention of it, though, because he was pretty sure that Kakashi knew as well. Despite the man's flaws, Kakashi was among the best of the entire Leaf -- and if he was good at something, then he was good at hiding how good he really was. Sometimes Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why someone of Kakashi's level had been made their teacher. Probably because of him -- because of the Sharingan they shared.

 _The second Genin test is really a joke,_ he mused. _Or if not a joke then it's a political affair._ It was clear in their team. Kakashi, the best Jounin of the village was their teacher because of the Sharingan -- because the village elders wanted the man to teach Sasuke how to use his Sharingan, wanted Sasuke to become their hope for the revival of the Uchiha clan, their trump card. Naruto's presence in their team, on the other hand, was the Hokage's doing -- sentimentality towards the Fourth's son and the mistreated demon container who hadn't been seen as the hero the Fourth had wanted him to be seen. Sakura, on the other hand, was just a lucky girl. If she hadn't been the academically highest student of their class, there was no way she would've ever made it on their team.

Apart from their truly mismatched team, the other teams were completely and entirely political. The Ino-Shika-Cho team was a tribute to their fathers, who according to Orochimaru had been quite a famous team during their time. Also, the Yamanaka, Nara and Akamichi clans had a lot to do with it -- though they weren't as appreciated as Hyuuga or Uchiha, they were still assets of Leaf. There was no way for them to fail their exam. Also, they had been given the Hokage's son as their teacher, a hidden way of strengthening the bonds between the clans and the leader of the village -- though Sarutobi Asuma probably didn't see it that way.

Finally, the eighth team of the year. Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. It didn't really matter how they had done in the Academy either, because they had been put on the same team as Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata was the heiress of her clan; there was no way they would've failed her.Even if the Clan Head didn't like his daughter all that much, the village saw it in a different light. Heirs were special. Heirs _didn't_ fail. The Inuzuka and Aburame clans were usually considered among the weakest -- and freakiest -- by the general populace… but the ninja elders knew better. The two clans were very important to the village because of their tracking abilities. Putting Shino and Kiba with Hinata was probably a way of telling the Inuzuka and Aburame that they were appreciated -- and by giving them Yuuhi Kurenai as a teacher, the young upcoming Genjutsu specialist, was a way of saying that their clans were sure to rise in the ranks as well.

The other teams, all the other students… they had never had any chance of passing the second test. Kakashi had said it himself, in his underneath the underneath way. Only three teams could pass. How else would there only be three if they hadn't been decided before hand? How could the Jounin have known how many teams had been passed before they did or didn't pass theirs? What if all of the teams had passed their tests, what if none of them had? No. It had all been decided beforehand.

That was why the bell test was a joke. Kakashi made it insanely difficult, made them fail and then passed them because Sasuke just happened to hand over his lunch to Naruto. There had been no choice or chance there. The man probably would've passed them even if Sasuke hadn't done what he had.

Not that any of it really mattered right now.

"Um, Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked carefully after they had been walking for a while. "You're from the country of Wave, right?"

"Yeah. What about it?" the grouchy old man asked.

"Um…" Sakura frowned a little and looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, do they have ninjas in that country too?"

"No, not in the Wave country," the Jounin answered lazily. "But in most of the other countries… the culture and customs may be different, but hidden villages exist and so do ninjas…" The Jounin looked up at the sky. "To many countries on the continent, the existence of a Shinobi village means military power. That is how they hold and maintain advantages over each other. But it's not the villages that rule the countries; they merely stand equal to the country's government."

 _In theory the Hokage and the lord of Fire country are politically equal,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _In reality, the Hokage has a higher stature of power for the simple reason that he is more powerful. In the end it is the Kage who commands the Shinobi, not the lord. It's like that in most countries, but the lords can't do anything about it. In the end, ninjas and governments tolerate each other and aide each other when it's most convenient to them… Shinobi mostly spend their entire lives serving their Kage without giving their governments much thought._ Another of Orochimaru's teachings, but it was to the point. No matter what was said, hidden villages were nations of their own.

"Though Leaf, Mist, Cloud, Sand, and Stone are the most powerful villages, they are not the only ones. Between the five countries there are other ones, smaller ones with less power, but they are still there," the Jounin continued to explain. "A small country like Wave however doesn't receive much interference from the larger countries so there is no need for a Shinobi village there."

"And when they do, they turn to the hidden villages of the other countries," Sasuke said impassively. "To the ones closest to them… this time, the Hidden Leaf."

"Exactly." Kakashi nodded. "But don't worry, you guys. There won't be any combat on this kind of mission anyway. It's just a C-rank mission after all."

"Then we won't come in contact with foreign ninjas?" Sakura asked with a relieved look about her face.

"Of course not." Kakashi laughed while Tazuna looked down at the ground with a guilty frown. Sasuke glanced at the old man before turning his eyes away. Civilians really didn't know how to keep their secrets properly.

Looking at the ground, the last Uchiha noticed a water puddle. Remembering what had happened the last time, he was tempted to walk right over it… but instead he looked away. It wasn't like it would even hurt the Mist-nin hiding in the puddle. Besides, the small scuffle against the Mist-nin would be an excellent way of seeing how far he had managed to lead Naruto.

They walked past the puddle. He didn't hear anything but he felt their presence as the two Mist-nin appeared. The sound of rushing and whirring of the chain connecting the two alerted the others. "Huh?" Sakura and Naruto whirled around while Sasuke did the same. By then Kakashi was already trapped by the chain.

 "One down," one of the two Mist-nin said as they forcefully pulled their hands, tightening the razor sharp chain around Kakashi. Naruto gasped and Sakura screamed while their teacher was pulled apart, but Sasuke merely narrowed his eyes.

The two ninja rushed towards Naruto. During the previous time line, Naruto had been too slow to react… but this time he had been training daily against Sasuke, who had made sure to be the most erratic and complicated sparring partner for the blond. Even if Naruto's mind wasn't quick enough to catch up, Sasuke had done a number on his senses and muscle memory. Naruto looked as surprised as the two ninja as he jumped out of the way of the chain with a sharp back flip. And not just that, his survival instincts kicked in at the slight opening in his enemies' guard. He kicked them both simultaneously during his back flip, looking a bit surprised at his own actions as he easily landed on his feet.

 _Good going, Naruto!_ Sasuke silently congratulated his teammate while grabbing shuriken and kunai, throwing them instantly. With the shuriken he pinned the sharp chain against a tree and with the kunai he pinned the shuriken down so that the two Mist-nin couldn't pull it free. Then, as they were stuck in the tree, he used their predicament to his advantage. He jumped at them, landing neatly on their ousttretched arms before kicking them both simultaneously with a kick similar to the one Naruto had instinctively used.

It worked only once, as the two Mist-nin were quick to free themselves of the restricting chain. Springing away from Sasuke, they hurried towards Naruto and Tazuna. If the one attacking Naruto had been a bit slower, he might've surprised the blond. But again the blond's instincts reacted and Naruto quickly deflected the attack with his palm and ducked before using the ground as leverage and kicking his enemy. It was a bizarre, whirly kick that probably no one else would've used, but Naruto had always been a bizarre fighter.

In the meantime, Sakura had taken a position before Tazuna in order to protect their client. Sasuke wasn't sure if she was good enough to match up against one of these two, but apparently it wasn't even necessary. Just as Naruto was about to begin really fighting against the Mist-nin attacking him and the other Mist-nin got ready to attack Sakura, Kakashi reappeared and ended the fight by taking the two ninjas into head locks and knocking them unconscious.

Sasuke sighed and straightened up while a surprised Sakura and Naruto looked towards the place where the pieces of Kakashi's body were supposed to be. Instead of blood and gore there was only shattered wood there.

"Good job you guys!" the Jounin sounded almost surprised as he subdued their enemy. "All of you had very sharp responses. Especially the boys. Very good team work."

Sasuke walked towards his blond teammate. "You alright?" he asked without actual worry. He was pretty sure that Naruto was physically alright and even if he had gotten wounded the demon would've healed him quickly enough. However… this was Naruto's first battle as far as Sasuke knew. That kind of thing could have an effect on one's mind.

"Yeah. That was _weird_." Naruto straightened up as well, looking at his hands with confusion. "I just… did it, I didn't even think about it, I just jumped and kicked."

"Fighter's instinct." Sasuke shrugged. "We've been sparring enough for you to build automatic responses. It's a good thing, trust me."

"Hm… cool in a creepy kinda way," the blond murmured.

"Save the discussion for later, guys," Kakashi called. "Naruto, check if you have any wounds. "Their claws are soaked in poison, so if you've gotten any wounds, we need to remove the poison quickly. Do you know how to remove poison?"

"Open the wound and release the poisoned blood," Sakura answered automatically while Naruto checked himself for cuts. Sasuke gave him a long look as well, but couldn't find any cuts, thankfully.

"I think I'm safe," Naruto said after checking the hand he had used to block the attack. "Yeah, I can't feel any cuts."

"Good." Kakashi nodded seriously before glancing at their worried client. "Tazuna-san…I need to talk to you."

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto sat on the ground while Kakashi tied their opponents to a nearby tree. He felt a bit strange. He had seen and experienced a battle before. The one against Mizuki hadn't really been much of a battle, but it had been a fight nonetheless and one for his life as well… but this was different. This one had been without clones. And in this one he hadn't thought at all.

Fighter's instinct, a good thing, or so Sasuke said. And maybe it was, but for a moment it had felt like Naruto hadn't been in control of his own body. It had been kind of like falling; you're completely aware of it but can do nothing to stop it. Would fighting always be like that? Like you were just watching from the back as your body did everything?

He didn't want that. Sure it had been better than freezing… but he didn't want to fight without being in control of his actions. What if he fell to these instinct things in a fight against Sasuke? What if he seriously hurt the other boy? Or Sakura-chan, in the case she even began to spar against them…? He didn't like the thought at all.

"These look like hidden Mist Chuunin…" Kakashi said, causing Naruto to look up. "These Shinobi are known to continue fighting no matter what."

 _No matter what? If Kakashi hadn’t stopped them, they would've continued to fight against us until one side was dead?_ Naruto asked silently and smothered down a shiver.

"…how did you read our movements?" one of the two Mist-nin who both wore strange headbands and even stranger masks asked.

"On a sunny say like this, when it hadn't rained in days… there's not going to be a puddle on the ground," Kakashi said, causing Naruto to look up. There had been a puddle?

"If you knew that, why did you let the brats fight?" Tazuna asked, making Naruto snap his eyes to Kakashi. He wanted to know that as well. Why let them believe that he had died in the first attack?

"If I had wanted to, I could've killed these two instantly… but there was something I needed to find out," the Jounin glanced at their client. "I wanted to know who these two were after. If they were after one of us… or you. We haven't heard that there are Shinobi after you. Our mission was simply to protect you from thieves or gangs."

Naruto blinked with confusion and glanced at Sasuke and Sakura to see if they were following the conversation. Sakura looked just as confused as he was, but Sasuke was as emotionless as he always was.

"This has become at least a B-rank mission," Kakashi continued much to Naruto's surprise. The Jounin was still looking at the bridge builder. "This was supposed to be a simple protection until you completed your bridge. If it was known that ninjas were after you… this mission would've been set as the more expensive B-rank. I'm sure you had a reason, but it causes problems when you lie about the mission. We are now operating outside of our duties."

Naruto frowned. _Yeah, this isn't in a C-rank's description,_ he mused, remembering what Sasuke and Sakura had explained to him about mission rankings. _C-ranks at most involve thieves and robbers -- low-level criminals…_

"We aren't ready for this mission," Sakura spoke quickly. "Let's quit! This kind of mission should be handled by Chuunin teams, not by Genin like us."

Naruto frowned and looked away thoughtfully. The instinct thing kind of spooked him… but he didn't want to quit the mission. It had all worked out in the end, hadn't it? He and Sasuke had worked well together and Kakashi had been perfectly alright. Besides… he didn't want to be known as one of the ninjas who quit at the first sign of trouble.

"Didn't we already start the mission?" he asked with a frown, causing the others to look at him. "We already promised that we would protect the old man, right? What kind of ninjas would we be if we would quit now? Cowards, that's what."

"He has a point," Sasuke nodded while moving to stand beside Naruto. "We did well against those Chuunin. No one was hurt. And even if we as Genin aren't strong enough, Kakashi's a Jounin." The words lacked all the passion of Naruto's speech, but were no less effective. Naruto grinned up at his teammate, glad to have someone backing him up.

There was a moment of silence before Tazuna spoke out. "I have a confession to make," the old man said carefully. "About this mission."

Kakashi turned his eyes from Sasuke and Naruto as the boys looked at their client as well. "You're right," the bridge builder said. "This job is most likely higher than C-rank. It turns out that there is a very dangerous man after my life…"

"Dangerous man?" Kakashi asked slowly. "Who?"

Tazuna hesitated before sighing. "You've probably at least heard his name before," he murmured. "The wealthy shipping magnate… a man named Gatou."

"Huh? Gatou?!" Kakashi asked with shock, causing Naruto to look up at him with confused curiosity. "From the Gatou Company? He's said to be among the world's few extremely wealthy people…"

"Yes. Officially he runs a large shipping company…" Tazuna continued. "But secretly he sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninjas and gang members to take over businesses and countries. He is a very nasty man…"

"It was about year ago when he set his eyes on the country of Wave. Through money and violence he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry." The old man shook his head with a frown. "Gatou now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country. The only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the bridge…"

"I see…" Sakura spoke out. "Since you're building the bridge… you're in the way."

"So those ninjas were hired by Gatou?" Sasuke asked flatly. Naruto sighed and decided to stop trying to follow the conversation. He had already been left behind after what Kakashi had said.

Tazuna didn't answer so Kakashi spoke out. "But what I don't understand is… if you knew ninjas would be after you… why did you hide the fact when you hired us?"

"Wave is poor. Even the feudal lord doesn't have any money left." The bridge builder frowned, looking down at the ground. "Of course, we don't have much money either… not enough for an expensive B-rank mission."

"Well," the old man continued. "If you quit the mission now… I will be definitely be killed, but… don't worry about it!" He grinned. "If I die my cute ten year old grandson will just cry for a few days, nothing too bad… Oh yeah, and my daughter will live a sad life hating the LeafVillage forever… But it won't be your fault. No, not at all!"

Naruto stifled a groan, scratching the back of his neck, while Sasuke snorted and Kakashi slumped at the sound of the old man's speech. "Well," the Jounin murmured. "I guess we have no choice. We will protect you, at least until you get back to your country…"

 _Figures that we got us a sensei who's a sucker for sob stories…_ Naruto mused to himself while standing up with a huff.

 

* * *

 

 

As they continued on their way towards Wave, Sasuke threw a slightly worried look towards Naruto. The blond had been strangely quiet since the fight, which was highly unusual for Naruto. He wasn't even making strange faces; instead he was just staring at the ground, deep in thought. Finally, Sasuke started to have enough of it. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up with a surprise. "Oh, um… nothing really. I'm just thinking about the whole instinct thing…"

"Well, it's not really instinct. It's more like reaction," Sasuke murmured, a bit confused about why that would be worrying Naruto. "In our spars I've attacked you enough times in enough ways for you to build reactions for those kinds of situations. When your instincts tell you that you're being attacked, your body reacts even if your mind is too surprised to keep up."

Naruto frowned a little. "That's it… a reaction?" he asked it as if he had been waiting for more.

Realising what Naruto was so worried about, Sasuke stifled the urge to roll his eyes, and pulled out a kunai. When he threw it at the blond, Naruto immediately ducked from its way.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" the blond asked enraged while Kakashi, Sakura and Tazuna looked at the two of them with confused and slightly worried eyes. Behind him the kunai hit a nearby tree and stuck into the trunk.

"Why did you duck?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the others.

Naruto looked at him strangely before frowning. "I didn't want it to hit, obviously!"

Paying no mind to the blond's tone, Sasuke spoke again calmly. "Why didn't you want it to hit?"

"Because it would've hurt, you idiot!"

"There you have it," Sasuke shrugged and walked to fetch his weapon. "That is basically the same thin as what happened in the battle. You don't want to get hurt so you avoid being hit." Pulling the kunai free from the trunk, he pushed it back into its holster and returned to Naruto's side. "Think of it as a reflex and nothing more. It's not going to begin controlling your actions during a fight. Like I said, it's a good thing."

Naruto looked surprised. "Oh…" he murmured. "Okay then."

Sasuke shook his head with a small bit of amusement. Naruto certainly got worried over strange things. Ahead of them Sakura giggled a little at Naruto's antics while Kakashi smiled at them strangely.

"You did well in the battle," the raven-haired Genin murmured to his still slightly worried teammate. Naruto looked up and smiled at the praise widely. Sasuke nodded and looked away. _He did better than he even knows… because all the while he still had the weights on, and they didn't even slow him down._

It took a while but eventually they got to the shore from where they needed to continue on a boat. One of Tazuna's friends was there waiting to ferry them to the island.  The sea was covered in mist as they began to cross over to Wave, but it didn't seem to bother the ferry man all that much.

"At least this way we won't be seen," the man murmured while peering over them into the thick mist. "We should see the bridge soon enough…. The land of Wave is at the end of the bridge."

Sasuke looked up as they began to see the shadow of something big ahead of them. As they got closer they began to see that it was the bridge itself. Naruto looked up as well and took a breath to exclaim something, but stopped when Sasuke snapped his eyes to him. "I was just going to say that it's huge," the blond said, looking wary.

"Then say it quietly," Sasuke answered and looked up at it.

"Yeah, better not make too much noise," the ferry man muttered. "Why do you think we’re hiding in the mist and not using the engine? We'll be in deep trouble if Gatou finds us…"

Naruto looked a bit guilty before looking up and beginning to admire the bridge again. Slowly but steadily they made their way towards the beginning of the bridge until eventually they began to see the island. There was a wall-like bridge built on the shore as if to protect the village from being seen -- or attacked. They were going to slip underneath the bridge.

"Tazuna… it looks like we've avoided detection so far," the ferry man said quietly as they approached the smaller bridge. "Just in case, we'll take a route that has vegetation. It will make it harder to spot us."

Soon they were under the smaller bridge and heading towards the village. Just like Sasuke remembered from before, the village was largely built over the water with houses and bridges standing on many wooden legs. It looked like most of the village was floating, and here and there grew trees right out of the water -- though these weren't like the tall, thick trees of Fire Country. No, these were strange bunched up masses of thin, twisted trunks. And they were indeed hiding them from sight nicely as they headed towards the shore.

Eventually they came to a place from where they could get to the ground -- a dock like porch of an abandoned house. "This is it for me," man with the boat said. "Goodbye and good luck."

"Yeah. Thanks." Tazuna nodded before turning to the ninja. The smile on his face wasn't too happy though, a little bitter perhaps. He covered it by turning around and grinning. "Alright! Get me home safely!"

"Yes, yes," Kakashi answered with a much suffering look. Sasuke glanced at the man and didn't feel jealous of the position the man had been put in. But then again, he felt no sympathy either.

 

* * *

 

 

Kakashi sighed, slumping a little. _I knew taking this mission would turn out to be a horrible mistake,_ he thought to himself while they continued on their way towards Tazuna's home. _Already we've met Mist-Chuunin… If we get attacked again, it won't be just mid-level ninja, it will be Jounin-level… I'm willing to bet my head band on that…_

 _Though…_ He couldn't help but glance at the boys and feel a bit proud. They had done surprisingly well. Well, it was expected of Sasuke. The boy came from a clan which had a long history of Shinobi after Shinobi; fighting was in Sasuke's blood… But Naruto had been a pleasant surprise. Though Kakashi had expected the boy to be able to defend himself to a certain extent, the kick in the middle of a back flip had been not only masterfully delivered but purely intuitive. Naruto seemed to possess innate fighting skills -- it took more than a few sparring sessions for that kind of reaction to become natural.

Sure, Naruto had no style and no class. The boy's moves had none of the grace Sasuke's Taijutsu possessed. Naruto fought more like a street brawler. But… when the boy had moved, Kakashi had felt that there was potential there -- potential to become not exactly a Taijutsu expert but a _fighter_. The Jounin had a feeling that the blond was the rare type of Shinobi who learned fighting _by_ fighting. The boy would never learn a style, never learn discipline… but he would probably never need either. He would be good nonetheless.

 _It baffles the mind, but Sasuke is right. Naruto does have potential, immense potential_ , the Jounin mused thoughtfully, glancing at the black-haired boy. _But… what I can't understand is why Sasuke is so keen on feeding that potential. Why does he want to make Naruto stronger, why does he…help the dead-last? It makes no sense… usually his type -- my type -- concentrate on their own strength at that age…_ He needed to talk to the boy sometime and find out the reasons. He didn't like mysteries.

The Jounin blinked as he felt a presence. As he glanced at the nearby bushes, he could see from the corner of his eye that he wasn't the only one. Sasuke and, surprisingly enough, Narutoseemed to feel the presence as well. Naruto was the one to act upon it, throwing a shuriken into the bushes. It hit a tree trunk with a sharp thump.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sakura turned to look at the blond. "Don't just do things like that!"

"Sakura, be quiet," Sasuke said, looking towards the bushes along with his teacher and blond team mate.

Kakashi headed towards the bushes. The Genin followed to see a shocked white rabbit on the ground with the throwing star just above its head. _Naruto is surprisingly good with weapons; he wasn't bad during the bell test either. He's not Sasuke's level, but he certainly knows how to throw a shuriken,_ the Jounin thought before frowning at the rabbit. _However… this is not the time to wonder about his abilities._

"Naruto, look what you've done!" Sakura admonished her teammate, who took the frightened thing from the ground. "You scared the poor thing to death."

While the kids attempted to revive the panicked creature, Kakashi frowned. _That rabbit has a winter coat… yet it's spring. It should've shed the winter coat and turned brown by now…_ He glanced at the trees around them. _That rabbit has been kept in captivity, possibly for the purpose of kawarimi – by the use of a living creature, possible presence and sounds can be covered… and they are less suspicious than inanimate objects like logs._

He sighed. _I guess our next opponents are here…_ Just then he felt a spike of killing intent and heard a sharp sound. "Everyone, get down!" he cried to the team. They were quick to act. Sasuke pulled Tazuna down while Naruto and Sakura dropped easily to their palms and toes. Over them flew a mass of steel in a deadly whirl, thankfully missing them all before it lodged itself into a tree trunk.

Kakashi looked up sharply as someone landed on the handle of the massive weapon. With well memorised pages of the Bingo Book leafing through his mind, he quickly attached an identity to the person. _This guy is… oh boy._ "Well, well, if it isn't Hidden Mist's missing-nin, Momochi Zabuza-san…" he murmured and stifled an urge to sigh heavily. _From C-rank to B-rank to A-rank… this just isn't my day._


	6. Forgotten Stragetist

Sasuke fell back a bit, motioning for Sakura and Naruto to do the same. It was possible that he could've taken on Zabuza.Though his body was still slightly undertrained, he did know enough to fight evenly against Zabuza's class. However… he didn't dare risk it at this point -- and Kakashi would have it covered.

"Good, stay back you three," Kakashi said, his visible eye not moving away from the Mist-Jounin. "This one's on a level you can't match yet." The Jounin frowned a bit before reaching up. "Against him, it will be tough… unless I do this…"

Before he could uncover the Sharingan, however, Zabuza spoke. "You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi…" the former Mist-Jounin said. "Sorry but the old man is mine."

Sasuke frowned a bit while Sakura and Naruto threw a surprised look at him. They hadn't known what to make of the Sharingan last time, if Sasuke's remembered it correctly. This time they knew what the Sharingan was, though. They also knew that it was supposed to be only possessed by members of the Uchiha clan.

 _Kakashi never did explain to me how he got the eye -- I doubt he explained it to Naruto and Sakura either,_ Sasuke mused to himself. _I found out about it from Itachi and Orochimaru…_ Orochimaru had never really kept anything from him before his death; the snake summoner had never thought that he would survive all that long, after all. Why keep secrets from someone who would never live long enough to spread them? _His arrogance was his downfall. Itachi's pride was his. I wonder what will be mine. Wrath, perhaps._

But this was really not the time to think about such things.

"Surround and protect Tazuna-san," Kakashi ordered them, taking a hold of the edge of his headband. "Do not enter the fight. That will be your teamwork this time. And Zabuza, you… you will fight me." With that said, the silver-haired Jounin uncovered his lone Sharingan.

Sasuke suppressed a slight grimace. Once, that sight would've brought him a feeling of slight jealousy and perhaps pride -- jealousy because Kakashi had survived the massacre where the others had not and pride because of the fame Kakashi had gained with that eye. Now, though… now he wasn't sure what he felt -- or if he felt anything at all.

"Ah. I already get to see the famous Sharingan," Zabuza said, looking down at them from where he was standing on the handle of his sword. "I'm honoured."

"Sasuke," Naruto finally spoke up, turning to look at him with confusion and slight annoyance. Naruto didn't deal well with surprises. "Is that really the Sharingan? How does Kakashi have it?"

"Who knows," Sasuke answered. He wasn't supposed to know, so he wasn't going to tell. He didn't want to tell, either, for some strange reason. Possibly because of the same reason the Uchiha clan had allowed Kakashi keep the eye Uchiha Obito had given the man. "But yes, that is the Sharingan. In its developed stage, too."

"The brats know about the Sharingan, huh?" Zabuza asked. "Do you know the fame Kakashi has gained with that eye? When I was still a member of Hidden Mist's assassin team, I, like most, had the Bingo book. It has information on high class criminals and ninjas -- and Kakashi's information was in it. And this was what it said: the man who has copied over a thousand jutsu… the Copy Ninja Kakashi."

Sakura swallowed slightly and even Naruto looked at their sensei with awe, but Sasuke merely nodded. Uchiha, though they too had copied plenty of jutsu, rarely reached Kakashi's level. Kakashi had something no Uchiha had ever had -- or more accurately he didn't have something which all Uchiha had had. Kakashi had never been a brag nor prideful about the eye he had. Arrogance was one of the Uchiha's many faults, and Kakashi didn't have it -- not in the same way. Because of this, he hadn't stopped when he had a few good Ninjutsu like most of the Uchiha had, no. He had kept going.

In the end Kakashi had always been closer to mastering all the Ninjutsu of the world than Orochimaru would ever get. In a way, Orochimaru had been jealous of _Kakashi_ and his repertoire of Ninjutsu -- and of course the Sharingan. That was why he'd come after Sasuke.

 _I don't like you, Kakashi. You made too many mistakes with Naruto for me to like you, but I can't help but respect you… in a way_ , the raven-haired Genin thought with a frown.

"Now…" Zabuza crouched on the handle of his enormous sword. "This is enough talking. I have to kill that old man."

The killing intent leaking from the man, more than his words, caused them to act. While Sasuke took the front, Naruto took a stance at his left and Sakura at his right so that Tazuna was as protected as they could keep the man. Glancing to his team mates, Sasuke saw to his satisfaction that they were both holding weapons already.

"But…" Zabuza seemed amused by their reaction as he grasped a hold of the sword's handle. "It seems that I have to beat you first, Kakashi."

With a powerful kick the man freed his weapon from the tree trunk and flashed from the woods to the nearby pond. The missing-nin moved so quickly that Sasuke had slight difficulties following his movements. Easily landing on the surface, Zabuza was already making hand seals before they could even see him again.

"Over there, on the top of the pond!" Naruto called, alerting Sakura and Tazuna, who hadn't been able to follow the man's movements.

Zabuza held his left hand up and right hand before him, both in some seal that wasn't among the usual twelve hand seals. Chakra began to whirl around the man and water began to rise from the pond. "Ninpou… Kirigakure no jutsu…" the man murmured and began to fade. Then he vanished completely as mist began to rise.

"He'll come after me first," Kakashi told his students and their client, though Sasuke didn't need to be told. "Momochi Zabuza… as a member of Hidden Mist, he was known as an expert in silent killing." The man glanced at them over his shoulder. "You don't even notice until you're already dead. I can't use the Sharingan perfectly, so… you guys be careful."

As Sakura and Naruto steeled themselves, the mist got too thick to see though and the trees seemed to vanish. Sasuke swallowed down the bitter taste in his mouth as a voice spoke from the mist. "Eight choices… liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain… kidneys and heart," Zabuza spoke. "Which one should I go after?"

The killing intent was beginning to get heavier. Sasuke glanced at his two teammates to see how they were faring. He had felt worse -- Itachi, Orochimaru, and even future Naruto could be lot more terrifying than this… but Sakura and Naruto didn't have his past. To his surprise, however, both were faring well. Sakura possibly didn't feel it clearly enough or know enough about killing intent to succumb to it. And Naruto had natural protections against such attacks -- you couldn't really terrify a demon container with mere intent.

Sasuke suppressed a bitter smirk. Last time his own senses had nearly been his downfall -- senses and inexperience. He had been so new to killing intent that he would've rather killed himself than felt it. Now that he looked back at it, he wondered how he’d managed to survive at all though his early years.

"Don't worry you guys," Kakashi spoke, glancing at them over his shoulder and smiling underneath the facial mask. "I'll protect you even if it kills me. I don't let my comrades die."

 _That's one thing you certainly hung onto,_ Sasuke had to admit. Kakashi had his faults, but those words were ones he had never broken.

"We'll see about that!" It happened in a flash but sometimes a flash could last an eternity. Zabuza's attack was swift and sudden, but Sasuke saw it. He unsheathed the shobu tantou and brought it up in defence against Zabuza's blade. Just as metal met metal with a loud clang, Kakashi appeared and thrust his kunai into the missing-nin's stomach.

But the enemy-nin didn't bleed blood. He bled water. Just as the water clone started to break down, Naruto's call alerted Kakashi of the attack coming towards the man from the behind. It was a bit too late, but it hardly mattered. As the Leaf-Jounin was cut in two, another one appeared behind Zabuza. The Kakashi who had dispersed Zabuza's water clone turned into water as well.

The real Kakashi held a kunai to Zabuza's neck. "It's over."

 _Clone after clone_ , Sasuke thought while motioning his teammates to get back into formation. _Though the timing was good…_

"Heh." Zabuza chuckled. "Over, is it? You don't get it." The former Mist-nin grinned underneath the bandages covering his face. "There is no way you can defeat me with your monkey-like imitations. But that was mildly impressive of you. However…" A second Zabuza appeared behind the Leaf-nin and the one Kakashi had been threatening dispersed into water. "I won't be that easy to beat."

From there it escalated into combat. Zabuza swung his enormous blade with all intention of cutting Kakashi into pieces only to have Kakashi duck the attack hastily. The swing was followed by a quick kick, and even Sasuke was mildly impressed by the way the man was able to handle the massive sword after a failed swing. As Kakashi was thrown aside, the missing-nin grabbed a hold of his sword again and made to attack… only to stop.

 _At what point did Kakashi drop Makibishi…?_ Sasuke wondered, staring at the ground, where a bunch of caltrops had been spread to stop Zabuza from running too freely. Then the raven-haired Genin looked up as his teacher crashed into the water. _What? Why did he… there is no way Zabuza could kick him that far. And not just that, but… why does that water seem heavy?_

"Heh, you fool." Zabuza chuckled, appearing behind Kakashi who was trying to get up from the water he while he was making hand seals.Before Kakashi could do more than look up, water burst from the surface and surrounded him with a globe-like prison.

"You may have been trying to escape into the water, but that was a big mistake," Zabuza said while keeping his hand in the water prison to keep the jutsu going. "Hehe… now I have you in my inescapable special prison…"

 _Of course. Kakashi thought he could escape into the water, and thinking it through, it’s not a bad idea, but he should've remembered that he's fighting against a former Mist-nin. Water is Zabuza's element,_ Sasuke thought, tightening his hold on his tantou while Naruto and Sakura gasped at the sight of their teacher being captured.

"It makes things tougher if you can't move, you know." The former Mist-nin sneered at the imprisoned Leaf-Jounin before turning to look at the Genin. "Now… Kakashi, we can finish things later. First I'll take care of them."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Zabuza made another water clone. After it had formed from the pond, it began making its way towards them. "Hehe," Zabuza and the clone spoke in unison. "Wearing head-bands and acting like real ninjas…" The clone looked up. "But you know what? You're not. A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death."

The clone held its hand up in a seal. "Basically…. Once you're good enough to be listed in the Bingo book… then you can start calling yourself a ninja." The clone looked up. "And you guys really shouldn't be referred to as ninjas."

Then the clone vanished. Sasuke's eyes snapped after it but before he could intercept the attack, Naruto had already been kicked back. The blond's headband slipped from his forehead and was immediately stomped underneath the clone's foot before Naruto even landed.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, but Sasuke held back. Something was tugging at his memory, telling him not to do anything. So, instead of helping his teammate, he lowered the tantou slightly and watched Naruto, waiting for his reaction.

"Just a brat," the original Zabuza said from where he was keeping Kakashi imprisoned.

"You guys! Take Tazuna-san and run away! You have no chance of beating him!" Kakashi yelled through the water. "As long as he is keeping me trapped in this prison, he can't move. The water clone cannot go very far from his real body… so just run away, now!"

Sasuke grimaced and kept his eyes on Naruto. For a moment the blond looked shocked, panicked even. For a moment he looked like he was about to run away as he quickly got to his feet… but then his eyes met Sasuke's and he stopped. The Uchiha couldn't tell what Naruto was thinking, but he could tell easily that something was going through the blond's mind.

Naruto's frightened expression turned into a look of seriousness and determination. Then, with a frown, he turned to look at Zabuza's clone over his shoulder. Sasuke could nearly feel Naruto's resolve himself as the blond slowly turned to face Zabuza’s clone… and then Naruto attacked the clone.

"No, don't!" Kakashi and Sakura cried both, but Sasuke kept silent. If he was the only one who could feel it, so be it, but something had just happened. Something had changed. And even as Zabuza sneered and Naruto was kicked back, Sasuke felt a strange feeling rise in his chest. It took a moment for him to realise what it was though.

He felt proud -- just slightly, but he felt it nonetheless.

"What are you doing, jumping in all by yourself?" Sakura cried as Naruto struggled to get back to his feet. "We Genin have no chance against him!"

Sasuke said nothing, just straightened his back and allowed a small smile to form. Naruto was holding his headband in his hand -- he hadn't even meant to attack; he had gone after the head band from the beginning.

With a little drop of blood falling from the corner of his mouth, the blond _smiled_. "Hey, you eyebrowless freak," he spoke. "Put this into your precious book. The man who will one day become the Hokage…" The smile turned into a feral grin as Naruto tied the hitai-ate back to his forehead, "Is the Leaf village ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!"

While Kakashi, Tazuna, and Sakura stared at the blond with wonder, Naruto glanced at Sasuke over his shoulder. "Sasuke, lend me your ear. I have a plan." _That is an order_.

"Time for teamwork, then?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. _I'm at your command, Hokage-sama._

 

* * *

 

 

Kakashi stared through the water prison as his student plotted something. What were they doing? They needed to get out of here before they got themselves killed! If Naruto couldn't see that, then surely Sakura and Sasuke….

"They have a lot of arrogance…" Zabuza and his clone spoke in unison with amused voices. "But do they stand a chance?"

 _No, this is bad, very bad!_ "What are you doing?!" Kakashi cried to his students. He needed to make them run away before their foolishness got them all killed. His own death he could handle, but to watch more comrades die right before his eyes… he didn't want that again. And these were his students, on top of everything. "Run away! This fight was over the moment I was caught! Our duty is to protect Tazuna-san, did you forget that?"

Naruto glanced at their client over his shoulder. Kakashi was too far away to hear what they were saying, but with the Sharingan he could read their lips. "Old man…" the blond spoke with worried look.

"Well… I planted this seed myself," Tazuna answered. "I'm not going to now say that I have so much desire to live that I'd stop you. I'm sorry, kids… but fight as much as you want."

 _Damn!_ Kakashi opened his mouth to order his students to leave, but before he could, Zabuza burst into laughter. "Hah! You guys will never grow up! Going to keep on 'playing' ninja, eh?" the missing-nin jeered. "When I was about your age, these hands were already dyed red with blood."

 _All the more reason for them to run away while they still can,_ Kakashi thought with a frown. _There's a reason for Zabuza's fame. From an early age he was known as the Devil._ "Devil… Zabuza…."

"Ah, so you've heard a little about it?" Zabuza sounded almost delighted.

Kakashi's frown darkened. _Maybe it will frighten the kids into running away,_ he thought and began to speak. "Long ago, in Hidden Mist village, also called the village of the Bloody Mist… there was a final obstacle in becoming a ninja…"

"Hm? You even know about the graduation exam…" Now Zabuza was slightly surprised, but it was no wonder. These kinds of things were usually kept within villages. Especially after such traditions had been terminated.

"What exam?" Naruto asked and Zabuza laughed in return. "What's this graduation exam thing?!" the blond asked again, now with a slightly agitated look on his face.

"It was a… fight to the death between the students," Zabuza answered, much to the blond's shock, but Kakashi merely frowned. Hidden villages all had dark secrets in their pasts, but the graduation exam of the Hidden Mist… it was one of the darkest pages in the history books.

"Friends who had trained together, learned together, and eaten at the same table were pitted against each other… they went at it until one of them lost their life," Zabuza told. "These are friends who had helped each other and shared dreams…"

"How terrible…" Sakura whispered with horror.

"Ten years ago, the Hidden Mist's graduation exam… was forced to change," Kakashi spoke, to soften the tale a little as well as to make clear just how far out of their league Zabuza was. "This change came after the previous year… when a devil appeared."

"Change?" Sakura asked while the boys kept quiet. "What change? What did this devil do?"

Kakashi frowned. They weren't ready to know these things, but… they had chosen the path of Shinobi themselves. They needed to learn. "Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja yet… killed over a hundred of the students."

"Ah…" Zabuza smiled underneath the bandages covering his lower face. "Those were the days…"

Then, without warning, the water clone attacked. Sasuke managed to protect himself against the first hit, but the following kick sent him flying back -- he even dropped the knife he had. Kakashi started a little in his prison, his form trembling with the need to be able to fight back, to protect his students… but he couldn't do anything.

Then Naruto held his hand up in seal. As Sasuke begun to regain balance, dozens of Naruto clones attacked Zabuza. It made little difference, though; Zabuza was simply out of Naruto's league. With a simple continuous swing, the man dispelled the handful of clones before they could even land a hit.Kakashi knew that no matter how many Naruto would make, it wouldn't be enough.

Then, much to Kakashi's surprise, Naruto picked something up from the ground. "Sasuke!" the blond cried and threw it at the other boy. The Uchiha caught it with ease. As he held it up, Kakashi realised what it was. _Ah, Sasuke's tantou. Good thinking on Naruto's part, making sure his team-mate has his weapon. Those two will be quite a team someday. If they live long enough._

With ease Sasuke flipped the tantou around in his hand. Then, with equal ease, the black-haired boy kicked himself up and jumped high. Even as Zabuza boasted that knives had no effect on him, Sasuke used his higher position and threw the weapon. But it didn't fly towards the water clone -- Sasuke aimed at the real one.

"I see," Zabuza and his clone spoke. "You're aiming at the real me… but…" The man caught the weapon with his free hand. "That's not going to be enough!"

The boast came too early. There was another tantou in the shadow of the one Zabuza had caught. _That's Kage Shuriken no jutsu! Hiding a weapon in the blind spot, in the shadow of the other weapon… amazing. His skill with weapons is amazing. That's usually used with shuriken, as it's easier because of the rotation, but he actually applied it to the tantou. He did it flawlessly, too._

"Ha!" Zabuza called out while jumping out of the way. "Still not enough!"

But Sasuke was still smirking… and Kakashi couldn't see Naruto. Throwing a look over his shoulder, Kakashi saw how the tantou turned into Naruto, who immediately threw a kunai. With one hand in the water prison and another holding the first tantou, Zabuza couldn't catch the thrown weapon. He was forced to release his hold on the water prison and jump back -- and even then the kunai grazed his cheek.

"You damn brat!" the man roared and held the tantou in his hand up to throw… but before he could, Kakashi had already been freed from the water prison. Catching the knife's blade with the metal on the back of his glove to stop him from throwing it, Kakashi glared at the man.

"Naruto, great 'plan'," he said without bothering to hide his pride. The boy had used shadow clones as a diversion to Henge into the tantou. Then he had thrown it to Sasuke, who had combined it his own knife to use the Kage Shuriken no jutsu -- or Kage Tantou no jutsu, actually. Sasuke may have even acted like he had lost the tantou in the first place just for the plan. To think that Naruto of all people had come up with such a strategy. "You guys have definitely grown…"

"Heh," Zabuza murmured. "I got distracted and released the jutsu…"

 _Don't you dare to belittle my student's efforts, you son of a --!_ "Wrong! You didn't release it," Kakashi groused. "You were _forced_ to release it." _And now that you have, it's high time we finished this match._ "Now. I'll tell you that I don't fall for the same jutsu twice… so… what will you do?"

"Bah!" Zabuza snorted and released his hold on the tantou. As it fell into the water, the two of them kicked into motion. Kakashi allowed his Sharingan to take control of his body and as Zabuza began to make hand seals, he copied them immediately. Forty-four hand seals were simultaneously performed within seconds.

"Suiton, Suiryuudan no jutsu!" the called in unison. Immediately after, masses of water began to move and form into massive dragons, dragons thatbegan to fight each other between them. As the jutsu worked -- and soon enough broke apart -- Kakashi's body kicked into motion. They met in the middle of the falling water, metal meeting metal as Kakashi's kunai came in contact with Zabuza's sword.

 _Too late for you now, Zabuza. You're caught in my Dojutsu…_ Kakashi thought grimly.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Yikes! Sasuke's knife! He'll probably beat the crap outta me if I let it be lost!_ Naruto thought almost wildly as he quickly took a deep breath and ducked under the restless surface. Looking around quickly, he saw a silvery glint sinking down somewhere underneath the spot where Kakashi and Zabuza were fighting. Immediately kicking into motion, he began swimming towards the glint.

 _Hehehe, one thing I am good at is swimming. Now I have a reason to thank that bastard of a landlord of mine who can't get the stupid ventilation fixed…_ Naruto thought as he made his way deeper. _Only reason I go to swim as often as I do is because it gets so damn hot in my apartment during the summers… I got good at swimming because of that. Now… heere knify knify knify…"_

He managed to catch the knife just before it hit the bottom. Holding the knife in his teeth to get his hands free, he kicked himself up and hurriedly made his way towards the surface. Naruto breached the surface just as he began to run out of air. He only managed to gasp a shallow breath before a mass of water was thrown over him by the fight happening on the pond's surface. Coughing a bit, he looked up to see the fight still going on.

 _Woah. Kakashi just might actually kick ass… a bit,_ Naruto thought to himself while rather hastily making his way for the shore. The last water jutsu his sensei and their enemy had performed had nearly drowned him; he had no need to stay around long enough to get caught in another.

 _Knowing how to walk on water would be useful!_ he thought to himself while stroking through the water. Thankfully the pond wasn't all that big and soon he had ground underneath his feet. Shaking the water off him as if he were a dog, he quickly hurried towards the spot where Sasuke, Sakura, and old man Tazuna were.

Naruto wasn't sure, but he almost thought that for a moment Sasuke looked relieved to see him. "Good work," the raven-haired Uchiha said to him as he handed the tantou back to him. "You even got my tantou. You didn't need to do that."

"Well, I figured it might be important to you since it came from your clan's armoury, you know?" Naruto grinned, pushing his wet hair back so that it wouldn't weigh down his headband and make it fall. Turning towards the fight, he saw that their sensei was mimicking Zabuza's actions, but they were too far away for him to hear. But it looked like Kakashi was doing a very good job pissing Zabuza off.

"Things are going to be alright now that sensei's out again, right?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded while pushing the knife back in its sheath. He too peered towards the fight. "Brace yourselves!" he suddenly said, just before Kakashi finished a jutsu. Suddenly the water seemed to burst out in a massive explosion, which did not only throw Zabuza away, but caused water to rush towards the Genin as well.

Somehow managing to keep their balance, they were surprised by the sight of Zabuza being thrown against a nearby tree with a few kunai sticking out of the man. "It's over." Kakashi's voice came from up where the man was sitting crouched on a branch.

"How…?" Zabuza asked with wide eyes. "Can you see the future?"

"Yeah," Kakashi answered, holing up a kunai. "You're going to die."

Just before Naruto was about to cheer for their very kick-ass sensei, Zabuza jerked. Naruto's eyes widened slightly at the sight of two long needles sticking out of the man's neck just before the man began to fall. _What the heck_? he thought with confusion. _Kakashi didn't throw those, did he? No, they didn't come from anywhere near where he's sitting… Who…?_

Turning to look in the opposite direction, he saw a masked figure standing on another tree branch, dressed in a thick, warm-looking robe. "Hehe. Your prediction came true," the masked person said. He didn't sound much older than Naruto himself. "He's dead."

 _Huh…?!_ Naruto looked down at Zabuza and then up at the masked person. Kakashi vanished from the other tree branch and appeared at Zabuza's side to check the man's pulse. The look on the Jounin's face told Naruto clearer than words that the enemy was dead… but still. _What the hell?!_

"Thank you very much," the masked boy said, bowing his head. "I have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time."

"That mask… you must be a Hidden Mist hunter-nin…" Kakashi said, looking up. Naruto glanced at him with confusion, not knowing what a hunter-nin was. Then he glanced at Sasuke. The black-haired boy met his eyes with serious look before relaxing his shoulders slightly. Apparently Sasuke didn't think that the hunter-nin, or whatever he was, was a threat.

"Impressive. You are correct," the hunter-nin answered.

"Hunter-nin?" Naruto finally asked, too confused to keep silent, even though Sasuke's now relaxed posture did calm him down a bit.

"Yes. It is my duty to hunt down missing-nin such as Zabuza. I am a member of Hidden Mist's hunter-nin team," the masked one answered calmly.

Kakashi was quiet for a while before standing up and relaxing. "Don't worry Naruto. He's not an enemy," the silver-haired Jounin said, turning to walk towards them.

 Naruto still didn't understand. The hunter-nin guy sounded like nothing more than a kid, yet he had beaten Zabuza… how was he supposed to understand that? With a frown he decided to word his confusion. "That Zabuza was really strong, wasn't he? And he was killed by a kid… a kid not much older than me." He glanced up at the hunter-nin. "How can I understand that?"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, I know how you feel, but… this is also the truth." The Jounin reached his hand to ruffle Naruto's wet hair. "In this world there exist kids younger than you… yet stronger than me."

Naruto blushed a bit at the touch before turning his eyes away and pouting. Younger than him and stronger than Kakashi… he wasn't sure if he liked that idea. No he was sure. He didn't like it, not at all. _They must be those genius people with genes and all. Like Sasuke but even stronger. Ugh. I hate that._

The hunter-nin kid jumped down from the tree branch and landed just beside Zabuza's body. "Your battle is now over," the masked kid said while taking hold of the body. "And now I must dispose of the body. Since it seems to be a body with many secrets…" He held one hand up in a seal. "Farewell." With that said, the kid vanished, taking their enemy with him.

For a moment there was a tense silence. Then Kakashi sighed and tugged his headband back down to cover the creepy red eye. "Now, we have to get Tazuna-san back to his home," he said with an almost bored tone of voice. "Let's go."

Tazuna laughed loudly. "Many thanks, you guys!" the old man said, pulling his hat down slightly. "Come over to my house and relax for a while!"

 _Hm… dry clothing would be nice,_ Naruto mused, looking down at his soaked jumper sleeve… just before Kakashi fell flat on his face beside him. "Huh?! Kakashi-sensei!"

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke glanced at his current teacher. Kakashi was very skilled with the Sharingan -- more so than some Uchiha had been -- but it came with a steep price. The eye wasn't Kakashi's originally. The Jounin could neither close it nor completely control it -- thus the drain of chakra was uncontrollable and strong. Maybe Kakashi could've handled himself better… but he had used the eye in Dojutsu, and that required a lot of both chakra and concentration.

Last time Sasuke hadn't understood just how serious the situation was. He had thought that it was slightly pathetic and in a way amusing, but the truth was that Kakashi was just minutes from death. If he had used the Sharingan a little bit longer, he would've drained all of his chakra until there was nothing left to keep him alive. Sure, Kakashi would've closed the eye before that; he wasn't stupid enough to risk his life like that, but it was still very serious.

Thankfully Tazuna's house wasn't far. Even though Naruto, in a burst of ingenuity, made three clones and transformed one of them into a stretcher so that the other two could comfortably carry their sensei… it did not do any good for Kakashi. The man needed solid rest to regain his strength.The less he moved, the better. Especially during the first few hours.

Even though he could remember that Kakashi had been fine, Sasuke breathed a little bit easier once Kakashi was finally resting underneath a thick duvet. While Naruto and Sakura worried, Sasuke advised Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, to boil some hot water for tea.

"Why?" Sakura asked curiously while the worried woman did as asked.

"You haven't read about chakra exhaustion?" Sasuke was a little surprised. Sakura had read quite a few of the Ijutsu books in his library, but the girl hadn't yet encountered one of the greatest dangers of Ninjutsu users?

"You have?" Kakashi looked at him from the futon, the mask and the headband not hiding his surprise.

"I don't just start learning jutsu before knowing the dangers of using them." Sasuke frowned. Last time he had -- and had nearly gotten himself killed because of it many times. It had actually been Kakashi who had first introduced him to the concept, but Kabuto had informed him of the true dangers. Now he kept it in mind every time he fought with high level Ninjutsu.

"Wise of you." Kakashi nodded tiredly and looked at Sakura. "Chakra exhaustion is one of the great weaknesses of ninja," he explained. "It's said that one of every twenty Ninjutsu users dies of chakra exhaustion. And that almost every ninja is at some point in their lives hospitalised because of it. Most more than once."

"It's basically a lack of energy," Sasuke explained to Naruto, who didn't seem to understand. "You use a certain amount of energy when you perform Ninjutsu -- like your Kage Bunshin. If you use that energy up, you end up like Kakashi. Except I doubt that _you_ ever will, Naruto. You seem to have an infinite chakra supply."

"Hmm." Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "Though that's not really chakra. What Naruto has is stamina, which enables his great chakra use. But even he needs to keep it in mind. Chakra is what makes ninja strong; with chakra we are capable of performing inhuman feats. It also makes us immune to low level diseases and germs -- and gives us endurance most people don't even think about."

"But… we can't really train our insides," the teacher said, frowning. "Our internal organs can only take so much. We ninja have an advantage in comparison to those without the right training. The chakra in our bodies protects our insides, strengthens them so that they can take a beating without breaking. But… when your chakra completely runs out…"

"Your immunity collapses. So does the endurance of your insides," Sasuke said. "You turn as weak as a civilian child -- weak against blows and weak against diseases. You could literally die because of the flu. And if you run completely dry, if you don't have any chakra left…"

It didn't need to be said. For a moment there was silence in Tazuna's house, as Tsunami came back with a tray.

"What's that for?" Sakura asked Sasuke. "I mean, you specifically wanted Kakashi-sensei to drink hot tea, Sasuke-kun, so… there's got to be purpose."

"With chakra exhaustion the body's temperature drops. Why do you think he's underneath duvets even though it's a warm day?" Sasuke raised his eyebrows while motioning for Naruto to help him. Together they helped their sensei to sit up and drink the tea. "I read that complete chakra exhaustion is called cold death because you in a way freeze to death. Drinking hot tea should help some…"

"You know a lot," Kakashi murmured after taking a sip. "You're very informed about these things. Planning to take on a career as a Medic-nin, Sasuke?"

"No," Sasuke answered curtly. After the man had drunk all of the tea, Sasuke and Naruto helped the man lie down again. _That career is reserved for Sakura. I don’t know what I'll do in the future, but Ijutsu is not it._

"So… the Sharingan is powerful, but… it looks like it uses so much chakra that it's dangerous." Sakura glanced at Sasuke. "I didn't think it would be like that, Sasuke-kun. Why would it be considered one of the strongest Kekkei Genkai if it has a weakness like this?"

"It doesn't," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "Yes, it uses a lot of chakra, but not this much. Not in an Uchiha. But… Kakashi's eye isn't his, so it doesn't work perfectly for him."

"Huh?"

"It's not his original eye. I guess it was taken from an Uchiha and implanted into his eye socket." The raven-haired Genin shrugged. "The fact that he only has one that he cannot turn off is proof of that."

"You are quite smart, aren't you, Sasuke?" Kakashi murmured, closing his lone visible eye for a moment.

"Well, we defeated that strong ninja and it looks like Kakashi will heal so…" Tazuna spoke out, probably trying to break the mood. "So we should be safe for a while, right?"

Sasuke frowned. _For a while,_ he thought grimly. _But Zabuza isn't dead._

"By the way…" Sakura looked away, clearly glad to change the subject from their teacher's near death. "Who was that masked kid?"

Kakashi opened his eye tiredly. "That was the mask worn by the Hidden Mist's special hunter-nin team. They are also known as body erasers. Their duty is to hunt down missing-nin, kill them, and then completely dispose of the body without leaving a trace."

"A ninja's body has within it the secrets of the village's Ninjutsu, as well as information on different chakra types, herbs and other things that will reveal things about the village," the man continued explaining. "For example, if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan could be revealed. If you aren't careful, there is a danger that the enemy will steal your jutsu."

"A ninja's body can reveal important information. So, by killing and disposing of the missing-nin who have abandoned their village, the hunter-nin protect the information from getting out. They are specialists who guard their village's secrets." Kakashi let his eyes fall closed. "No sound, no smell… that's a ninja's end…"

"So that Zabuza has been chopped and disposed?" Sakura asked with strange look on her face. "Scary."

Sasuke frowned slightly, looking down at their teacher, who had fallen asleep. _That's the job description of a hunter-nin. To protect the village's secrets. But it's also to protect the village's honour. Missing-nin are an embarrassment to the village, a disgrace and a stain on their records. I should know… I was one._

With a sigh he stood up. Motioning for his teammates, Tazuna, and Tsunami to be quiet so that Kakashi could get rest, he then motioned Naruto to follow him out of the room. "Just to be on the safe side," he said to the blond once they were out on the porch with waves lapping the house's wooden legs underneath them. "Could you make some clones and make them guard the forest? We don't know if Zabuza is all Gatou has, so…" _I know nothing will happen, but setting up guards is a logical step. And it's a good habit to start._

Naruto nodded and made hand seals. Immediately twenty identical Naruto's popped into existence and raced out in different directions. "They'll disperse if I go to sleep, though," he said with a frown. "And I need to sleep at some point."

Sasuke nodded. "We'll guard the house in shifts during the night. I don't think anything will happen right now, though. This is just a precaution…" He looked at the blond with a slight smile. "That plan during the fight against Zabuza… where did you learn to plot like that?"

The plan had been elaborate and thorough, something he hadn't thought Naruto was capable of being. It was what he had forgotten about the entire mission, Naruto's tactical sense… possibly because it hadn't appeared since. He didn't know why. It had been near ingenious for someone like the blond demon vessel.

"Well, I don't know if I really learned, but…" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You know how I used to pull pranks in the village? Most of the time I had ninja running after me. And of course I didn't want to be caught by them. But I wasn't all that stealthy or fast, so… I plotted against them, made them believe I went one way when I actually took another way… Well, ninja aren't all that easy to fool, so I had to come up with rather tricky escape plans… I kinda applied that to Zabuza. I didn't need to defeat him; I just had to make him release Kakashi… so it wasn't too hard to come up with the plan."

Sasuke blinked with surprise. Naruto had an innate sense of field strategy and _no one knew about it_?! Not just now, but it hadn't been known in the future either! No one had known about it, not Kakashi, not Jiraiya and not Itachi -- and he certainly hadn't. Why not? Naruto was known as being rather untalented when it came to intelligence. Something like this should've just shone out of him….

No, that was it. Like so many potential talents in Naruto, this too had been buried underneath the "dead-last" and "dropout." Naruto had gained strategic sense from a time before becoming a ninja and no one had known about it. Once he had become a ninja, everyone had spent their time telling him how untalented he was, until Naruto himself believed it. He had begun to fight like a dropout, heading up from the bottom and never realising that he hadn't been on the bottom in the first place. And thus they had destroyed the would-be strategist in Naruto before it had even begun to grow.

Sasuke frowned a bit darkly. _Are you really a dropout at all, Naruto? Were you ever a dropout… or have we been saying it for so long that it became reality? Just how much of your potential did Leaf unknowingly destroy?_

Naruto looked at him warily. "Uh… Sasuke? You're giving me a scary look… did I say something wrong?"

"Once we get back to Leaf, you are going to start reading scrolls and books about strategy, and there will be no arguing about that," Sasuke said through clenched teeth.

"Ermm…" Naruto looked a bit frightened. "O…kay?"

"Good." Sasuke nodded curtly and turned to return to the house. _I'll dig out all your talents, Naruto, and nothing will stop me from honing them into perfection! You may not become a tactical_ genius _like Shikamaru… but I'll be damned if I let that stop me._

* * *

 

Kakashi slept for a few hours, which was enough time for him to regain some of his chakra, but not enough for him to start moving freely. Once he did wake up, he did it with a gasp, which told Sasuke that he was beginning to realise that Zabuza could still be alive.

"What's wrong, sensei?" asked Naruto, who had been throwing strange looks at Sasuke since their conversation.

"Huh?" Kakashi looked up before tugging on his headband. "I was thinking about the hunter-in. Body erasing teams usually dispose of the body of the person they killed right there and then." The Jounin made an idle swinging motion with his hand.

"So what?" Sakura asked with confused look.

"Don't you see? How did that masked boy dispose of Zabuza's body?" Kakashi asked.

"How could we know?" Sakura shrugged. "That masked guy took the body with him."

"Yeah… if he needed proof of his work, he could've just taken the head…" Kakashi murmured. "And the weapon he used to kill Zabuza…"

"Senbon," Sasuke murmured with a crooked smirk. "Not very good tools for killing… they're more like medical equipment…"

"Yeah. Exactly," Kakashi nodded, much to everyone's confusion. "It's most likely… that Zabuza is still alive."

Sakura, Tazuna, and Naruto gasped in unison before Naruto leaned forward with confusion. "What the hell do you mean?!" he asked loudly, trying to cover his confusion with anger. Naruto did it a lot; for him it was probably easier being angry than being confused. "Kakashi-sensei, you checked him yourself!"

"Yeah, I did," Kakashi agreed. "But that was most likely just a momentary death." He lowered his head and looked at them almost lazily, hiding how worried he was. "The needles used by that hunter-nin… unless they hit vital organs, they have a low probability of killing the opponent. Like Sasuke said, they're more like medical supplies, used by doctors and medic-nin in acupuncture therapy."

"Hunter-nin know the body's structure thoroughly. Putting a person in a momentary death state is probably easy for them." The Jounin frowned a little. "Take these points into account. First, he carried away the body of a much heavier Zabuza. Second, he used a weapon that has a low probability of killing. These two points indicate that his motive was not to kill Zabuza… but to save him." He shook his head. "We can't ignore that possibility."

"Aren't you overthinking it too much?" Tazuna asked irritably. "Didn't you say it yourself? Hunter-nin are supposed to kill missing-nin."

"They are, but….  No. This is too suspicious and in our line of work you can never be too careful. We will prepare before it's too late. That's a Shinobi rule." Kakashi eyed his students. "Plus, whether Zabuza is dead or alive… there is no assurance that Gatou hasn't hired even stronger Shinobi."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who had begun to tremble just a little bit. He smirked at the sight of the tight grin on Naruto's face. _Excited about the possibility of another battle, hm? That's the Naruto I know._

"Sensei, what do you mean by 'preparing before it's too late'?" Sakura asked with confusion. "You can barely move."

"Heh. I didn't mean me," the Jounin said, looking at them. "You guys will receive training."

"Huh? Training?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Sensei, what's a little training going to do? Our enemy is a ninja you struggled against even with the Sharingan!"

Kakashi eyed her idly. "Sakura… who saved me while I was struggling?" he asked slowly. "You guys are growing rapidly. Especially Naruto." He glanced at the blond, whose eyes widened even more than Sakura's. "You've improved the most."

Sasuke smirked with satisfaction and slight pride. _I can't take pride in the strategy he came up with, but I am most certainly taking pride in his fighting. The entire time, fighting the two Chuunin and then against Zabuza… Naruto didn't even notice the weights -- heck, he swam with them and did it with ease!_ He glanced at their teacher, who hadn't missed his smirk. Raising his eyebrow at the man, he silently said the words he wanted to say aloud. _Take that, Kakashi._

"But obviously…" their teacher continued, closing his eye rather neutrally against Sasuke's silent boasting, "this is just training until I get better, you won't be able to defeat him without me."

"But… if Zabuza is alive, he could attack us at any time, right?" Sakura asked worriedly, leaning her palms on her knees. "Should we really be training? Shouldn't we concentrate on guarding Tazuna-san?"

"Well, about that…" Kakashi blinked slowly. "When a person is put into that kind of stasis… it should take a while before their body returns to normal. We don't have anything to worry about from Zabuza for about a week."

"So, we'll train until then?" Naruto pressed his hands into firsts. "Sounds like fun!"

"That's not fun," a childish voice interrupted them, surprising Sakura and Naruto and causing them to look towards the door. It was a small black-haired boy with a fisherman's hat. _Inari… if memory serves…_ Sasuke mused to himself. _Tsunami's son…_

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked loudly to cover his surprise.

"Oh, Inari!" Tazuna looked at the boy with a delighted expression. "Where were you? I was worried. Come here and give your grandpa a hug."

As the little boy welcomed his grandfather home and found his way to the old man's side, his mother stepped forward. "Inari, say hello to these people," Tsunami said with her hands held at her hips. "They are ninja who protected grandpa on his way here from the Leaf."

The boy looked at them flatly for a moment before looking up at his mother. "Mom… they're going to die…" Inari said.

"What did you say, you little brat?!" Naruto asked, standing up along with an equally enraged -- but quieter -- Sakura.

Ignoring him, the little boy looked down at the floor. "There's no way you can win against Gatou…"

"You brat, I'll--!" Naruto halted in the middle of what he had been about to say. Sasuke looked at the blond curiously as he bit his teeth together to calm himself down. Then Naruto held up his first. "Hey, Inari. Listen. I am a superhero who will one day become an incredible ninja called Hokage! I don't know this Gatou guy, but he's got nothing against me!"

The kid snorted. "Are you stupid? There's no such thing as a hero," Inari said flatly before turning around to leave the room. "If you don't want to die, you should leave."

"Where are you going, Inari?" Tazuna asked worriedly.

"To look at the ocean from my room," the kid mumbled and left.

Sasuke blinked at the enraged look on Naruto's face. Inari had hit a sore spot in the blond, but for the life of him, Sasuke couldn't figure out how or why. While Tazuna tried to apologise for Inari's behaviour, Naruto huffed angrily and followed the kid out of the room… only to return not two minutes later with a saddened look on his face.

 _Well, wasn't that interesting?_ Sasuke mused, watching Naruto avidly as the blond sat down. _I wonder what it was about what Inari said. The hero part? But why would that enrage Naruto; he's not exactly a hero and no matter how he acts he is not stupid enough to not know it…_ The raven-haired boy tilted his head a bit as Naruto fell into a thoughtful silence. _I'll find out later,_ he then decided.

"For now I think you guys should get some rest," Kakashi spoke from the futon. "We'll begin training first thing tomorrow."


	7. Damaged Container

 

Naruto sighed, stretching his hands up before tucking them behind his head. As he followed Kakashi with Sasuke and Sakura, he couldn't help but think of Inari, the bitter little boy who had proclaimed yesterday that there were no such things as heroes. It had pissed him off at first, but when he had heard the boy cry about his father soon after… it made him feel remorseful and slightly confused.

"Are you stupid? There's no such thing as a hero." Those words had hit a nerve in Naruto. He wasn't sure why though; he had actually spent the entire night and most of the early morning wondering what about those words pissed him off. He hadn't managed to come up with an answer, though. At first he had thought that it was because he wanted to consider himself as a hero… but that wasn't it. All he knew that he _really_ didn't like them.

"Okay," Kakashi, who had been leading them rather slowly while taking support from crutches, said and stopped walking. Tazuna had gotten crutches from the village the previous evening for the Jounin. A ninja with crutches… yeah, not really intimidating. But after what Sasuke had said about Kakashi's weakened state, Naruto didn't find them as ridiculous as he would have otherwise. "We will now start the training," the Jounin said, turning to look at them.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto fisted his hands, resolved to push his confusion about Inari and heroes away for a while. He could think about it later.

"Okay. Before we begin I want to talk to you little about the Shinobi ability, chakra," Kakashi said. "You three know what chakra is, right? Well, just to recite what you learned in academy…. How about you, Sakura? Tell us about chakra."

"Alright," the pink-haired girl said. "Simply put, chakra is the energy a Shinobi needs to perform a jutsu. That energy has two parts. Body energy, which is in each and every of the billions of cells you have in your body. And spiritual energy, which is gained through training and other experiences. These two parts are combined into chakra." She folded her hands. "So, by bringing out and releasing chakra, you can use jutsu. This is done through the process of performing a seal with the hands."

Naruto folded his hands and tilted his head a bit. It wasn't the first time it had been explained to him what chakra was -- Iruka-sensei had, the old man Hokage had, Sasuke and Sakura had a little bit after they had learned the ability of his shadow clones -- but it still didn't mean that he completely got it.

"Think of it this way. Physical energy is like dry ink and spiritual energy is water," Sasuke said from his side flatly. "You put them together and you get something you can use for something useful."

"Hmmm…" Naruto frowned. Yeah, that made a bit more sense… not much, though. "Well, whatever. Isn't it something you learn with your body? Like by doing and stuff? We can already perform jutsu…"

"Nope." Kakashi looked at them lazily. "You guys are not using chakra properly. As Sakura said, to release chakra means to bring out physical and spiritual energy and mix them together within your body -- into chakra. However, chakra is more than that. Based on what jutsu you use, the type and amount of chakra that is released will be different."

"You guys are not using chakra efficiently yet," their teacher continued. "Even if you are able to release a high amount of chakra… unless you control it properly the jutsu will be weak or not work at all."

Naruto frowned. After the Mizuki and Forbidden Scroll incident, the Hokage had explained why he could do Kage Bunshin and not regular Bunshin. It had something to do with chakra control -- apparently he used too much chakra on Bunshin but with Kage Bunshin it was just enough. And as Kage Bunshin divided the chakra, it was easy to do -- for him, anyway.

"And by wasting energy," Kakashi continued speaking, "you won't be able to fight as long. If you just release chakra mindlessly without control, you can end up having a serious case of chakra depletion. So… you need learn how to control it. It will not only make sure that your jutsu come out correctly, but it might save your very life."

The blond swallowed while Sakura did the same at his side. After what Sasuke and Kakashi had told about the chakra exhaustion thing, he knew that it was very serious business.

"What are we going to do to learn it?" Sakura asked carefully.

"Hm?" Kakashi blinked. "We'll be climbing trees."

"What? What kind of training is that?" Sakura asked with confusion while Naruto sighed. He already knew how to climb trees; he had been climbing them ever since he had learned to walk… so it would probably be a boring exercise.

"I'll tell you, so listen up." Kakashi held his hands up, leaning onto the crutches with his armpits. "This isn't normal tree climbing. You'll climb without using your hands."

 _Okay, that's something different,_ Naruto admitted, now a bit more curious. _How do you climb a tree without your hands?_

As the students looked up, Kakashi held his hands up in Ram-seal. Then he began to walk towards the nearest tree calmly, again using the crutches as support. And then, as normally as walking on normal ground, he began to walk up the tree trunk. "Woah," Naruto said with shock, looking up at their sensei, who was making his way towards the underside of a tree branch. "He's climbing…"

"Vertically… with just his legs…" Sakura finished his words, looking up with similar wonder. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't look all too impressed -- but then again, Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke was ever impressed.

"Do you understand now?" Kakashi asked from where he was standing on the underside of a branch. "Gather your chakra on the bottom of your feet and climb up a tree. This is something you can do once you use chakra well."

"Wait a minute," Sakura spoke up, looking slightly irritated. "How is learning how to climb a tree going to make us stronger?"

"Here's the main part, so listen closely," Kakashi said, sighing. "The purpose of this exercise is first to teach you how to control your chakra. Bringing the proper amount to the proper area, as I said earlier, this is the most important aspect of doing a jutsu. This can be difficult for even a skilled ninja. The amount of chakra needed to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact. And it is said that the bottom of the foot is the most difficult area to gather chakra…."

"So, basically…" the teacher continued, "if you can learn this control, you should be able to master any jutsu… in theory anyway. The second thing is for you to develop is the stamina needed to control your chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra properly can be very difficult. And a ninja will usually be gathering his chakra during battle, while constantly moving. Those types of situations can make controlling the chakra even more difficult."

"That's why, from this tree climbing, you must gain the stamina needed for this proper control." Kakashi reached for his pocket and pulled out three kunai. "Well… talking all day isn't going to accomplish anything…. This is something you'll have to learn with your bodies."

He threw the kunai at their feet, making Naruto almost jump back. "Use those kunai to mark how high you make it up the tree," Kakashi said. "Then use that mark as your goal and try to surpass it. You guys won't be good enough to just walk up the tree at first. So get some momentum and try running up the tree. Got it?"

Picking up the kunai, Naruto grinned. _This training will be nothing compared to some of the training stuff Sasuke has had me do._ "This will be a piece of cake!"

"Bragging won't help you," Kakashi said, sighing. "Just pick a tree and try climbing it."

 _Alright. So first I gather my chakra to my feet. Sasuke and Sakura said that it's the same stuff I use in Kage Bunshin, so if I go at it like that, it should work…_ Naruto thought while holding his hand up in Ram-seal. Concentrating on gathering his chakra, he hardly paid any attention to Sasuke and Sakura, who were doing the same beside him.

 _That should do it._ "Alright, here I go!" he cried and rushed towards the nearest tree. Rushing up from the ground to run along the trunk, he barely managed to take two steps before the tree suddenly made a horrible bang and started to crackle. Then it began to break underneath his feet. Surprised, he jumped back to see that his footprint had literally sunk into the trunk.

He landed rather embarrassingly onto the ground, still looking at the tree trunk in shock. "What the --?" he asked with confusion. He had made a hole a few inches deep into the tree trunk!

Looking to his left and then to his right, he saw that Sasuke and Sakura were both racing up their selected trees without making holes in them. Sasuke was, however, looking at him over his shoulder with a slight frown. Cutting a mark into the tree, the Uchiha kicked off, made a backflip and landed back on the ground. "Just how much chakra did you use?" the black-haired Genin asked, staring at the hole in Naruto's tree.

"Uh… well, I kept thinking about Kage Bunshin, so…" Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"That's entirely too much." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear what Kakashi said? It only requires a little. Using too much will break the wood."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out," Naruto muttered, mimicking Sasuke and rolling his eyes as well. The effect was ruined with the slight smile that started tugging on his lips when he saw the flat look Sasuke gave him.

Then a feminine giggle called for their attention, making both of them look up. Sakura was sitting high up the tree on a branch with the kunai stuck in the tree trunk. "This is pretty easy!" The girl grinned down at them.

"Hm…" Kakashi spoke from where he was still standing upside down. "It looks like the best at controlling chakra right now… is Sakura."

"Wow! That's my girl, Sakura! Way to go!" Naruto cheered at her. _Though it kinda pisses me off. I didn't even get to the third step before the damn tree started to break…_

"Not only does Sakura know a lot about chakra… but her control and stamina are quite good as well." Kakashi nodded happily. "Sakura is the closest to becoming Hokage… unlike a certain someone. And I guess the Uchiha clan isn't worth much, either…"

Naruto frowned a bit while the last Uchiha threw a glare at their teacher. Then, surprisingly enough, Sasuke crouched beside the blond. "You need to calm down. Because of the spiritual part of Chakra, you can't get too excited. You need to relax and focus."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked with surprise. "You're helping me?"

"You're the one who's going to become the Hokage, right?" Sasuke stood up again and offered his hand to pull Naruto up. The blond blinked again before grinning widely and taking the hand. _Yes! He's helping me. I need to become good at this quickly so that I won't let down his expectations!_

"Let's try again," Sasuke said and moved to return to his selected tree.

"Um… should I use my clones?" Naruto asked.

"Not in this, not yet." Sasuke shook his head, looking more serious. "By the looks of it you're already using too much chakra. Add Kage Bunshin into the mix and you'll have all the ingredients of imminent chakra exhaustion."

"Right." Naruto nodded seriously. _I'm using too much chakra. I need to calm down and control it. I don't want to end up like Kakashi did after using the Sharingan too much…_

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke sighed while turning to his tree. He could control his chakra as well as he needed -- possibly even better than Sakura currently could  -- but he lacked the stamina he’d had in the future. He knew how to do it, but his body wasn't as trained as his mind was. Even though he had been constantly sparring with Naruto since coming to the past, he hadn't trained with chakra control.

 _I hate it, but I need this training as much as Naruto. Not because of control, but I need to increase my stamina…_ he grabbed a stronger hold of the kunai given by Kakashi, before starting to race up the tree again. _Adding some kind of chakra control element to our sparring sessions would do us some good. I'll need to think about something like that out once we're done with this mission…_ But for now, tree climbing was good enough. He wasn't in that much of a hurry to get better and he didn't want to outdo Naruto. It would serve no purpose and it would bring the blond's mood down and ruin his determination.

 _It's interesting, though,_ he thought while glancing towards Naruto, who was readying himself for another attempt. _Last time he used too little chakra and couldn't hold onto the tree. This time he nearly tore right through it. If he used the same amount of chakra he uses for Kage Bunshin, it's no wonder -- half of his entire chakra in his feet, that's enough to break through a boulder._

_Interesting indeed. I wonder what made him turn from using too little chakra to using too much? Just the sparring or because we've been trying to educate him about the Kage Bunshin…? Probably the latter. He said so himself after all…_

_But I'll think about that later._ Sasuke quickly cut a mark into the tree and kicked off. He tried to make it appear like it was as far as he could go at the moment -- trying to appear like he couldn't quite do it. If Kakashi found out that his chakra control was perfect, he would take him off training earlier and put him on guard duty, which would eat away his training time. For now he wanted to help Naruto -- and to try increasing his stamina slightly.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Well, that was surprising,_ Kakashi mused while looking at Naruto's damaged tree. _I half expected him to use too little chakra, but he used too much, even more than Sasuke. Interesting turn of events…._

He turned his eyes to Sakura. The girl was running up and down the tree trunk, apparently determined to increase her stamina. She didn't even bother to mark her tree as she had no difficulty getting to the top. _Good thing that her control didn't go to her head and that she understands the importance of stamina. She has more sense than I thought._

Sasuke was doing pretty well. He got to about the middle of the tree before marking the height and kicking off. He wasn't equal to Sakura yet, but he was closer to it than Naruto currently was. _He's still helping Naruto, though. He even gave Naruto tips. Not a bad thing, but a puzzling one…._

Finally he turned to eye to Naruto again. The blond had gotten a step past the hole he had made before the surface of the tree began to crackle again. Before it broke the blond jumped away and landed back down, muttering curses. Then, without missing a beat he tried again. _He has a great deal of determination. There is no doubt; he is going to get stronger and stronger. But just how strong?_

Kakashi began to make his way down from the tree. It didn't do him any good, wasting chakra this soon after having nearly complete exhaustion. _Naruto's chakra potential is no secret amongst our little group. His reserves are already larger than mine. And no matter what anyone says, it's a pretty amazing thing, since I have naturally high reserves…_

The "amount" of chakra was a greatly misjudged idea among Shinobi. Whilst control always beat quantity, quantity itself was a pretty big thing. Sakura, who came from a civilian family, would never have very high reserves. If she had children, they would probably have higher reserves than she had thanks to the fact that she was a ninja, though. Like genes, chakra potential also transferred from parent to child.

Among the entire village, the Akamichi clan had the greatest natural chakra reserves. Next was the Hyuuga clan, then the Uchiha clan. The Hatakes had never really been a clan, but since Kakashi was nowhere near the first ninja of his family, he too had inherited great chakra potential.

Naruto, however, beat them all and did it with ease. It was partially because of the Nine Tails; having the demon in him since the day he’d been born, Naruto had been forced to develop in a way that gave him large chakra reserves. Also, it was because of Naruto's mother. She'd also had very large chakra reserves, and not only for a kunoichi, as she had actually competed with the strongest of the Akamichi with her chakra. And when you added Naruto's father into the mix…

Kakashi stifled a chuckle. _Even without the Sharingan, Sasuke certainly has talented eyes. Whilst everyone has been blinded by hate and anger -- and maybe sadness -- Sasuke had the eyes to see what Naruto really is. Potential incarnate._

He looked at the kids for a moment before glancing behind. _Well, it looks like they have their training covered. I think I’ll head back to Tazuna's house before I collapse…_

 

* * *

 

 

Sakura gasped for breath while collapsing against the roots of the tree she had been running up and down. She was nearly wiped out by the exercise. Sure, it was easy to do but it was also very tiring for her. She just didn't have the stamina required for continuous vertical running.

Glancing to her right, she saw that Naruto was also taking a small break. He had made some progress, but by the looks of it he still managed to sink his feet into the tree by using too much chakra. Sasuke, who was also taking a breather, on the other hand, was making steady progress. Neither of the two boys was as wiped out as she was.

 _I'm all worn out but those two look like they can still go at it. What stamina they have…_ She sighed and tried to regain her breath while forcing herself to stand up. _I have better control but they have more chakra… that's not exactly news to me, though. Just watching them fight at the Uchiha compound was enough to tell me that they are more durable than I am._

 _But I'm not going to give up! Sasuke-kun said that you can double your chakra reserves with training, and that is what I am going to do. Then I'll perfect my chakra control until I don't need to be as strong as the boys to be good! Yep, yep._ She nodded to herself. _And then I'll show Sasuke-kun that I'm just as strong and ask him for a date! After we get back to the Leaf, that is…_

"Where did Kakashi go?" Naruto's words interrupted her thoughts.

"He left a little while ago, probably to rest," Sasuke answered, whirling the kunai in his hand while looking up at the tree he had been climbing. "Which is good. He shouldn't be walking around yet anyway."

"Are you actually _worried_ about our sensei?" Naruto asked with amazement, and Sakura couldn't help but agree. Sasuke wasn't exactly the… worrying type.

"No," Sasuke answered flatly. "But if Zabuza is alive I'd rather have Kakashi well by the time he shows up. Otherwise we might be killed."

Sakura shivered and grimaced at the words while Naruto snorted, falling to sit on the grass. "Aren't you the cheery one, Sasuke," the blond said while flopping onto his back. "Ouch, that hurt…" He winced, before stopping and raising his hand to stare at his wrist with surprise and confusion. "I just realised that I'm still wearing the weights. Huh."

"You actually forgot?" Sakura asked with shock. _Naruto has been doing this training with the weights on?_ "How can you forget something like that?"

"Well… I pull them on every morning." Naruto frowned a little while letting his hand fall. "I guess I've started to think of them as clothing."

"You've gotten adjusted to them pretty quickly," Sasuke said, also sitting down. Then he looked at Naruto somewhat slyly. "You know, you were wearing them when we fought against Gatou's ninjas."

"He had them on the whole time?" Sakura jumped up and joined the boys where they were sitting. "When those Chuunin attacked and against Zabuza… he still had them on?"

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded, leaning back against the tree he had been climbing.

"Huh." Naruto blinked slowly, looking up at the sky before closing his eyes. "I didn't even notice. How strange."

"Like I said, you've gotten adjusted to them. I guess you should get a heavier set once we get back to the Leaf," Sasuke said before looking at Sakura. He was quiet for a moment before tilting his head a bit. "I don't think this tree walking thing is going to help you much, Sakura."

"Huh?" The girl blinked. _I've done so well and he thinks it's useless?_

"It can't offer you much." Sasuke shrugged, still whirling his kunai in his hand almost absently. "I think you should try something harder. Like walking on water."

"Huh?" Now Naruto joined Sakura's confusion.

"What Kakashi and Zabuza did. They walked on water. I guess it's pretty much like this," Sasuke motioned at the trees with his kunai-whirling hand. "Though it's probably more difficult, since otherwise Kakashi would've taught that to us instead of this. You might be able to do it, since your chakra control is better than ours."

Sakura's eyes brightened and she blushed at the praise. _So he does acknowledge that I did well!_   She looked quickly around, but saw no water nearby. "Hm… maybe I'll try it when we get back to Tazuna-san's house," she said. The house was built over the ocean's surface, so there was plenty of water there to practice on.

Then she thought about something that had been bothering her a bit since the previous day. "Um… Sasuke-kun, I've been thinking about chakra exhaustion. We don't use chakra all the time, and chakra is basically stamina mixed with will, right? We use stamina to live, but not chakra… right? Because if we were dependent on chakra, there wouldn't be any civilians, would there?"

"Well, we don't use chakra, but we always have it. Even though we don't draw on it, our chakra coils are always filled," he answered thoughtfully. As Naruto didn't seem to understand, the raven-haired Genin explained. "Chakra coils are the patterns through which chakra flows in your body. Think of them as blood veins but instead of blood, chakra flows in them." He then looked at Sakura. "We ninja are dependent on those coils because of the training we've made to use them. If those coils run dry… it's kind of like blood loss. And if you lose all of your blood, all of your chakra…"

"Ah… I see." Sakura frowned and nodded. "I think I'll read a few more books on Ijutsu and chakra once we get back home. The idea that something like that can happen… I'd rather be completely aware of it than risk it."

"Good mindset," Sasuke said, nodding with approval before standing up. The kunai stilled in his hand as he took a firmer hold on it -- he had apparently been whirling it to flex his wrist. "I'm going to continue training." Naruto groaned but jumped up as well. Sakura watched as her two teammates began to race up the trees again. With a smile, she sat up as well and took after their example.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a bit later when the Genin came back to their client's house. Kakashi wasn't all that surprised to see that Naruto was wiped out andeven Sasuke was covered with sweat, but Sakura surprised him slightly. She, unlike Sasuke and Naruto, who had decided to eat and take a break, seemed determined to still go on. The teacher realised why after dinner.

While Naruto and Sasuke relaxed on the pier near the shore, Sakura stepped down to the wet ground just near the water's edge. Unseen by the Genin, Kakashi watched with slight wonder as the girl, barefooted and wearing only her black shorts and sleeveless black shirt, carefully stepped into the water. With a look of concentration on her face, she stepped forward -- and stayed on top of the water. Then, seemingly surprised, she took another step.

"This isn't so hard," she mused out loud, glancing at Sasuke and Naruto. "Pretty much the same as tree-climbing actually, but this takes a continuous flow of chakra."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, turning to Sasuke for explanation as Sakura carefully walked along the shoreline. She didn't seem to dare to go too far yet, but was still staying over the water.

"She needs to put more chakra into it than we do in the tree climbing," Sasuke said, shrugging. "We only use a little bit of chakra -- or we're supposed to -- but in water walking I guess one needs to continue expelling it to keep oneself from sinking…" Just as he spoke, Sakura descended through the water's surface, her feet hitting the bottom immediately after. Thanks to the fact that she was near the shore, only her ankles got wet.

"Yeah, this does take more energy than the tree climbing exercise." The girl nodded, quickly jogging back to the pier, where she tried again. "Takes more concentration, too."

"And probably builds your chakra reserves quicker," Sasuke said, nodding. When Naruto didn't seem to follow, the raven-haired boy sighed and explained. "Sakura is, to put it crudely, weaker than us when it comes to chakra. This exercise will build her chakra reserves -- make her stronger."

"Then… shouldn't we be doing this exercise too?" Naruto asked.

"We don't need to -- we have the reserves she is lacking -- and you especially have high reserves." Sasuke shook his head. "And this exercise is too advanced for you. You don't have the control yet -- you're using way too much chakra. It's better to start with tree climbing and then move onto this once you've mastered that."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto nodded, though he still seemed thoughtful. "I don't get it though. Why is it that Sakura is weaker… and better than us?" He quickly raised his hand in placating manner. "I'm not saying it to be mean, but still. How can you be both weaker and better than someone?"

"Power isn't that important in the ninja world," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "Out of the three of us, you are the most powerful one, Naruto -- and it's easy to tell -- but Sakura would still beat you because she's better at using her power, even if it's lesser than yours. Skill over strength… always skill over strength. Quality over quantity."

"Skill doesn't matter if a strong guy knocks you unconscious," Naruto murmured with a frown.

"Strength doesn't matter if you can use body flicker and run away from that strong guy," Sasuke argued. "And it doesn't take much strength to do body flicker. Just a lot of control." He leaned back slightly as Sakura -- who was intently listening to them -- jogged along the shoreline. "Also, as to why she's both weaker and better… well, there are many reasons. The main one is because she's a girl."

"Huh?" Both Naruto and Sakura turned to look at him. "What does that have to for with anything?"

"Everyone knows that women have better charka control than men. It's a simple fact. I don't know exactly why, but it just is." Sasuke shrugged. "It probably has something to do with brain chemistry, who knows. Anyway, women make better Genjutsu users and way better medic-nins than men do -- they're naturally better at grasping precise chakra control than men are. The greatest medic-nin in the history of Ninjutsu is a woman, and so is the second best and the third best and so forth."

"Really?" Sakura, again standing ankle-deep in water, looked shocked. "I… didn't know that."

"Tsunade, the Slug Sannin." Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. "Everyone in the ninja world knows her -- or at least they should. She's the greatest kunoichi there is -- and possibly ever has been. She's also a medic ninja. One of the legendary three…"

Kakashi frowned a little at the words. _Sasuke really knows lot. Sure, almost everyone does know that but I didn't expect Sasuke to be interested in things like that. I would've understood if Sakura had known -- she's the bookish-type -- but Sasuke really isn't…_

"Legendary three?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Yeah. The three hermits of the Hidden Leaf: Tsunade the Slug-hermit, Jiraya the Toad-hermit, and Orochimaru the Snake-hermit." Sasuke shook his head. "It's irrelevant to this, though. I think we were talking about why Sakura has better chakra control?"

As the three continued debating over how females had the upper hand over males when it came to chakra control, Kakashi made his way back inside. When he glanced back, he saw that Sakura was again jogging on the water. _I think I can safely pull her from training and make her guard Tazuna tomorrow,_ he mused. _Sasuke and Naruto though need a bit more training…_

 

* * *

 

 

Sakura yawned, stretching her arms up and arching her back. When Kakashi had told her that morning that she didn't need to continue with the tree climbing exercise, she had been happy. And when he had told her that she could actually guard Tazuna, she had been proud. But back then she hadn't realised that "guarding over" was synonymous to "sitting around doing nothing."

 _Here I thought that D-ranks were boring,_ she thought, sighing and rubbing her neck as she looked over the construction site. At first glance it had been incredible. The bridge was huge and the machines they used to make it were rather cool. She had never seen anything being built before -- not to even mention something so big -- and it had looked awesome at first. But now the incessant banging of hammers, the creaking of various tools and mechanisms, and the constant hum of machinery were starting to get on her nerves. And on top of that there was nothing for her to do.

 _I'd rather be back with Sasuke and Naruto, training,_ she thought.

"You sure seem bored all by yourself," Tazuna noted, carrying a long piece of wood on his shoulder. The elderly man, despite having worked for a while now and being covered in sweat, didn't seem all that tired. It was easy to see that despite his character, Tazuna was used to hard work. "Where's that blond kid and the other one?"

"They're training," Sakura said, shrugging. _I'd rather be, too…_

"You don't have to?" Tazuna seemed surprised.

"Since I'm so superior… Kakashi-sensei asked me to protect you." The girl smiled. Despite the boredom, that was a nice thought. She was superior even to Sasuke -- and even Sasuke had admitted it. After all the time she had spent working so hard to keep up with the other students back in the Ninja academy, it felt nice to be a bit better than others. As a child of civilians, she had always been a bit behind the others, since unlike them, she had never gotten any personal training from her parents. To finally know that her hard work really paid off…

"Really?" Tazuna asked rather flatly, looking her over thoughtfully. The expression on the man's face spoke volumes about what he thought of her and her superiority. Sakura thought it better not to answer, even though a part of her harrumphed angrily. Civilians, what did they know?

"Hey, Tazuna," one of the old man's workers, one Tazuna's own age, called, walking closer to them.

"Hn?" Tazuna looked up while lowering the wood he had been carrying to the concrete of the bridge. "What is it, Giichi?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently and…" The man with the black headband hesitated before frowning. "Can I stop working on the bridge?"

"Stop working… why?!" Tazuna turned to face the other man with a look of frustration on his face. "Not you too! We've been working on this bridge for a long while. We're almost finished!"

"Tazuna, we've been close for a long time now," Giichi spoke, his frown darkening. "I want to help you… but if we continue this, Gatou will notice us. And if we get killed, then what's the point?" The man swallowed, his hands clenching into fists. "Why don't we quit now… quit building this bridge."

Sakura frowned at the words, and at the way Tazuna looked away. "I can't do that," her team's client said. "This bridge is _our_ bridge. We started building this thing together, believing that it would bring resources to our country, that it would help us back to our feet. If I stop now…"

"But if we lose our lives then what's the --?!" Giichi started to argue but was stopped by Tazuna.

"It's already noon. Let's stop for today," the man spoke, walking away. Then he glanced at the other man over his shoulder. "Giichi, you don't have to come tomorrow."

As the other man strode away with frustrated steps, Sakura kept her eyes on Tazuna. By the way the man was acting, it seemed like this wasn't the first time someone had quit. Now that she thought about it, Tazuna's workers had more tools than they actually needed and more stuff to do than they had time to do. By the looks of it… over half of the original workers had quit, if not more.

 _It would be easier for them if they'd had Naruto's skill; they could just multiply to cover everything…_ she thought before blinking. _Now there's a thought…_

"Hey, girl, we better get going," Tazuna called to Sakura. "I'm supposed to bring home some food for lunch; there won't be any at the store after noon."

"Alright." Sakura sat up, quickly filing away the thought she’d had for later, when she could tell it to Sasuke.

By the time they were done shopping and were heading back to Tazuna's house, Sakura was even more intent on telling her idea to Sasuke. Her mind was filled with the realisation of just how badly this place needed the bridge. Everyone in the Land of the Wave was poor. The village was abundant with thieves and beggars, and she had lost count of how many she had seen wearing "will take any job" sort of signs.

The village was even worse when she looked at it from the perspective of someone who had grown up in rich village. Sure, the Leaf village was no city and even at its best it looked like it had broken too many times and been patched up too poorly, but in the Leaf no one went hungry. There were no beggars, and even if it were possible in a village of Shinobi, there were no thieves. And most certainly no one was jobless -- you were either ninja or you supported the ninjas, and that was enough to keep every woman and man in the village busy.

In comparison… Wave was pitiful. Not only were people poor but the stores were almost empty -- there was hardly anything to buy and what little there was, was barely edible.

Wave needed Tazuna's bridge -- desperately. Without it the place would wither away and die.

"Where are Naruto and Sasuke?" Sakura asked Kakashi when she and Tazuna finally came to the house.

"Still training," the teacher answered without looking up from his book. "They should be at the same spot as yesterday. That's where I left them this morning." The man turned the page. "Someone should get them; Tsunami is going to start making lunch now that Tazuna has brought food…"

"I'll go get them." Sakura nodded and turned to leave without even properly entering the house. "I'll make sure they'll be here before lunch," she said and then jogged away, not noticing that Kakashi closed his book and got up to follow her.

Sakura caught the boys not at the training site, but as they were on their way back to the house. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" she called to them, about to launch into a story about what she had seen and what she had thought. She stopped, however, when she saw the look on Sasuke's face. "I-is something wrong?" she asked worriedly, not wanting to direct his anger at her. "Did Naruto do something?"

"It's not what he did, it's what he didn't -- what he can't do," Sasuke growled -- actually _growled_ \-- motioning almost wildly at Naruto. "I finally figured out why Naruto doesn't get chakra. He can't feel it!"

"Huh?" Sakura asked with confusion, not understanding why Sasuke was so moved by it. "He can't feel chakra?"

"Yeah, that sensation you get when you're gathering chakra, the prickly feeling in your chakra coils, he can't feel it. Even when he gathers chakra to his feet, he can't feel the build-up -- not even the warmth. Naruto can't feel his chakra at all -- he's handicapped!" If Sakura hadn't known better, she would've thought that Sasuke was actually about to tear his hair. She had never seen the stoic Uchiha so… emotional. Even if it was frustration he felt.

"I'm not handicapped!" Naruto argued, though he seemed slightly confused. "And I don't get what he's talking about. What prickly feeling?" He turned to Sakura. "Help me out here, Sakura-chan. Sasuke stopped making sense some time half an hour ago when he started ranting."

"Uh…" Sakura blinked with confusion, looking between the two boys. Sasuke was still fuming with what seemed to be angry aggravation and Naruto was confused and slightly hurt. "Wait, wait, start from the beginning. You can't feel chakra?"

"How am I supposed to know if I can feel it or not, when I don't even know what it's supposed to feel like?" Naruto asked almost helplessly, folding his hands and tilting his head to the side.

"Well, can't you feel it when you concentrate it to your feet? The pulling sensation -- like something is being tugged down inside you? And then the warmth when you've gathered the chakra -- like you're standing on something warm?" Sakura asked.

"Uh… huh?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"He doesn't know what you're talking about because he has never felt it." Sasuke snorted, shaking his head with disbelief. "He's chakra-handicapped. He's numb. His chakra coils are either under-developed or they're damaged -- in any case, he can't feel chakra."

"How can he do Ninjutsu if he can't feel chakra -- how can he control his chakra at all?" Sakura asked with confusion. It had taken her years to start feeling her chakra, and only then she had been able to do anything with it.

"Because he has so much chakra, that even when he doesn't feel it, he can use it to some degree. That's why his control sucks -- it's hard to control something you can't feel." Sasuke shook his head wildly. "I only noticed it when I started to wonder how he can stand the burning when he gathers too much charka to his feet. He didn't even understand what I was taking about."

"He is standing right beside you," Naruto pointed out with a frown, folding his arms. Then he frowned with slight worry. "Everyone can feel their chakra?" he then asked almost carefully. "I always thought…"

"And no one explained it to you." Sasuke shook his head, folding his arms. For a moment he looked like he was going to get even angrier, before he forced himself to calm down. "What I would really like to know is how Naruto managed to go through years in the academy without anyone noticing this." He snorted. "Kakashi probably hasn't noticed either. What wonderfully perceptive teachers we have."

"Is it really such a bad thing?" Naruto asked quietly.

"If I couldn't feel chakra, I wouldn't be able to use it," Sakura answered quietly. "I thought it was like that with everyone." She turned to Sasuke, hoping that he would know.

"It is for me -- I think it is like that for everyone." The raven-haired boy nodded. "Naruto wouldn't be able to either if he didn't have as much chakra as he does -- and I think he might've subconsciously developed a different way of using it. By mimicking, maybe."

"Huh?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"You use chakra blindly. Like a deaf person learning to speak by copying those who can speak." Sasuke shrugged. "It's still a handicap -- a severe one."

"Well, it’s never bothered me before," the blond said almost defensively. "Why would it bother me now?"

"Because that handicap is what is keeping you from mastering chakra control. If you could feel it, you probably would've already mastered it." Sasuke shook his head. "It's that handicap which is keeping your from understanding chakra. It's also that handicap which will eventually get in between you and all the jutsu you want to learn -- it will make everything ten times more difficult than it should be."

The raven-haired boy shook his head. "It's like an illness, Naruto, and it could kill you. Once we get to Leaf, you need to go to see some chakra specialist, we need to find out if this… condition of yours is curable." He sighed. "But right now it seems like there isn't much we can do about it. Damn it…"

 _It really bothers Sasuke, Naruto's handicap,_ Sakura thought, blinking. _No… I think the fact that he didn't know bothers him more. I knew that Sasuke cares about Naruto, but I never realised that it would make him this emotional…_ "When we get back I could look through the Ijutsu scrolls in your library," she offered. "To see if I can find out about it."

Sasuke nodded. "That's good, but he still needs to go to see a specialist."

"And he is still present, you know," Naruto grumbled before shaking his head and making a dismissing motion with his hand. "Can we think about this later? I'm hungry as hell and we can't do anything about it anyway, right?"

"Fine," Sasuke muttered, but he didn't sound happy -- or even cold.

"I was supposed to come fetch you for lunch anyway. Tsunami started to it, I think," Sakura said and then remembered the original reason why she had wanted to fetch Naruto and Sasuke. "Oh! While I was watching over Tazuna and his workers, I had an idea," she said while they started to head towards Tazuna's house.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, pushing his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

"Well… one of Tazuna's workers quit -- and I noticed that there's a lot less people working on the bridge than there should be," Sakura murmured. "Many have quit because they're scared of what Gatou might do to them. So I got this idea of helping them out. It doesn't seem like what they do is difficult work and with Naruto's Kage Bunshin…" She glanced at the boys. "It would really help them out and this place really needs that bridge."

"I wouldn't mind helping out," Naruto said immediately. "I could have the original me training and my Bunshin at the bridge. Piece of cake."

Sasuke frowned. Then he sighed. "I'll ask Kakashi about it," he then said. "Kakashi probably knows more about Kage Bunshin and how it works than we do, so he can tell if it's safe."

"Thank you," Sakura whispered with a relieved smile and looked up as they came to Tazuna's house.

 

* * *

 

 

Hidden in the bushes, Kakashi watched his three students head inside. He was reeling with what he had learned. Naruto was chakra insensitive? And he had always been? It… was an almost horrifying concept. Why didn't he know about this, why hadn't the teachers at the academy written it down -- why hadn't Iruka-sensei told him?

With a frown, Kakashi leaned onto his crutches heavily. There had been a chakra insensitive boy in the class before Naruto's. Rock Lee was also chakra insensitive -- and a prime example of it. He couldn't use chakra to save his life, couldn't even manage Bunshin or Henge, which were the simplest jutsu there were. To think that Naruto was the same way… it was incredible. Naruto could use chakra, despite lacking the feel of it, and by what Kakashi had heard Naruto was a master at using Henge -- not to mention Kage Bunshin.

_Actually… it makes sense. Naruto can't make Bunshin properly because it's only moulded chakra -- and because of that he can't feel it at all. Kage Bunshin on the other hand doesn't need him to feel it -- Kage Bunshin is not an extension of his chakra, but a copy of Naruto himself. It has a mind of its own so Naruto doesn't even need to control it or feel it. Though… that makes me wonder. Why is he so good at Henge, then? Henge on the other hand changes the user's appearance, which would make it easier for Naruto to perform… and he was resolved to learn it so that he could use it in his joke jutsu…_

Kakashi frowned. The fact that Naruto could use chakra despite being insensitive… it tipped the scales. Kakashi had never head of a chakra insensitive ninja being able to use chakra -- it just didn't happen. That made Naruto a freak of nature… or a genius.

 _It's because of the Kyuubi,_ the Jounin thought with a thick swallow. _When the Fourth sealed the demon in Naruto, it damaged him. We always knew that it had to be a baby because only a baby's undeveloped chakra coils could handle the demon -- and grow to fit the demon in time… but we never stopped to think of the damage it could do. The demon's chakra… burned Naruto's coils. It probably did it a long time ago, since Naruto apparently has never been able to feel chakra._

The Jounin closed his eyes. _None of us knew, none of us stopped to think. No wonder Sasuke is angry. He's already protective of Naruto -- he already knows that we have been neglecting Naruto… the son of our martyred leader. Now this… this will no doubt make him loathe us even more. Damn it, and he has every right to.  I can't believe we never noticed!_

Shaking his head the Jounin turned to make his way to the house. _When we get back to the Leaf, I need to do something about this. No, I_ will _do something about it. Naruto is my sensei's son -- my student -- and I've been ignoring him for far too long. No more._


	8. Watching His Back

Sasuke prodded the food with his chopsticks, his mind still on Naruto's handicap. He wasn't sure what annoyed him about it the most. Was if the fact that Naruto had been forced to handle it alone for so long that no one had ever realised it and helped Naruto with it? Or was it the fact that _he_ had never noticed and thus ended up having a handicapped ninja as his rival -- as his equal -- long ago?

Naruto had been, once upon a time, his rival because there had been equality between them. Naruto's dreams against Sasuke's ambition. Naruto's determination against Sasuke's vendetta. Naruto's hard work against Sasuke's natural genius. Rasengan against Chidori. And eventually, Kyuubi against Sharingan, Jiraya against Orochimaru. To know that through all of that Naruto had been under a severe handicap in comparison to him… It tipped the scales. No, it rocked the entire rivalry from its roots. Because if Naruto had had chakra insensitivity….

The raven-haired boy, once a teenager, frowned, glaring at his food. No, that wasn't it, even though the prospect did somehow irritate him. What annoyed him most about this was the fact that it _did not make any sense_. How could Naruto be chakra insensitive? Well, the mechanics were rather clear -- Naruto might've suffered some damage when Kyuubi had been sealed in him… that made sense. What did not make sense was the fact that Naruto, despite having this handicap, had mastered one of the most complicated jutsu that had been ever created. Not only that, but he had developed it further.

How could a chakra insensitive learn Rasengan? Rasengan was THE most difficult chakra manipulation created. Only four people in the history of jutsu had been able to learn it. First was the Fourth Hokage, who had created it. Then there was Jiraya who, according to Orochimaru, had taken long time to learn it. Kakashi was a given; he was a genius and had the Sharingan. He had merely copied it from the Fourth and then mastered the chakra's shape manipulation -- not a difficult task for the man who created Chidori and Raikiri.

And then, after a Hokage, a Legendary Hermit and the Copy Ninja of Thousand Jutsu… came a drop-out, a dead last, a _chakra insensitive_ , who not only learned the jutsu quicker than anyone before him, but evolved it into an S-rank jutsu.

It made no sense!

Sure, there was the fact that with the Kage Bunshin, Naruto could train faster than anyone, and had mastered the chakra's elemental manipulation within days. But if he truly was insensitive, that made no sense either. How could a chakra insensitive master elemental manipulation? It had taken Sasuke -- who was rather sensitive to chakra thanks to the Sharingan -- months, almost years to master his two elements to the point where he could manipulate Chidori freely. And he’d had Orochimaru, one of world's best at understanding chakra's elemental qualities, and Kabuto, a genius medic-nin, teaching him. Even if they hadn't known about his training with the Lightning Blade, they had helped him with it.

What had Naruto had? Sasuke had no idea; all he knew was that Kakashi had urged Naruto to evolve the Rasengan and that Naruto had done it by using great amounts of Kage Bunshins…

Sasuke blinked, his frown darkening as his thoughts deepened. _That… might actually be it,_ he realised. Long ago in the future that would never happen, he had witnessed Naruto's first times using the Rasengan. On the rooftop of Leaf's hospital, Naruto had made the Rasengan… by using a clone. While the original had been expelling the chakra, the clone had been moulding it -- manually, with its fingertips!

Rasen Shuriken, the deadly attack Naruto had created from Rasengan, was done by shadow clones too. Original Naruto applied the chakra. One clone moulded its shape. Another moulded the element. And both were done more or less manually -- it did not come from _inside_ Naruto, like jutsu usually did. Instead the manipulation was done once the chakra had already been expelled… when Naruto had used Rasengan and Rasen Shuriken, he had never used his chakra coils in the manipulation. He used his hands, his palm and fingertips -- his skin!

"Are you not hungry, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura, who was sitting to the left of him at the end of the table, asked with a frown. The raven-haired boy glanced up with a thoughtful frown still on his face. She was looking at him worriedly. "You haven't taken a single bite."

"Yeah, after that training you should be hungry as hell. I know I am," Naruto, who was more or less wolfing down his food, said. "Eat, eat! You're going to pass out if you don't!"

Sasuke felt like banging his head against the table for some reason. "I was just thinking," he muttered with annoyance and looked down at his food. After a moment of thought he started to eat his already cool food -- if not for any other reason, than to get his team mates off his back. His thoughts turned immediately back to their original course.

Chakra could be felt with the skin -- most did, actually. Sasuke had more or less lost that sensitivity in the future -- he had used Chidori and other lightning based jutsu so much that they had started to ruin the pain sensitivity of his hands, eventually starting to damage his skin's chakra sensitivity. It happened with most ninja -- some could even stick their hands into acid and barely feel it because the jutsu they used numbed their skin.

Naruto, on other hand, always healed when he got wounded -- probably even cellular damage was repaired thanks to the Kyuubi's presence. So, no matter how he got damaged, he always returned to the state he was, sensitivity and all. So, unlike most people, Naruto didn't lose that sensitivity -- it maybe even got sharper every time he damaged his hands as Kyuubi replaced the old cells with new ones… so it could be that Naruto, subconsciously, replaced chakra sensitivity with his skin's sensitivity.

 _Naruto has sharp senses otherwise too,_ Sasuke thought while mechanically polishing off his food. _His eyes are damn near perfect, his sense of smell borders on that of the Inuzuka, his hearing is probably good too… It could be that because his body is lacking its sixth sense, the chakra sense, it has automatically sharpened its other senses -- especially his sense of touch -- to replace what he's lacking. And he doesn't even realise because he thinks it's natural -- especially not in the future. After he meets people like Kiba, who has a sharp sense of smell, and the Hyuuga, who have sharp eyes. Me too… with people like us around him, Naruto probably never even stopped to think that his senses might be sharper than normal -- he probably thought that they were actually weaker._

 _He overcame his handicap without even realising it,_ Sasuke snorted quietly before blinking thoughtfully. _It might be that he already has, actually. He's good at Henge -- he perfected it to use it in that stupid joke jutsu of his. For a chakra insensitive even Henge is difficult, but Naruto painstakingly mastered it… and with it, he overcame the handicap. Henge is applied on the user's skin -- usually it's moulded at the hands and inside the body and expelled from the chakra coils almost wildly, making it the easiest Genjutsu there is. Naruto probably does it differently. He releases the chakra and then, by feeling it out with his_ skin _he reshapes the chakra…_

With his dishes empty, Sasuke lowered his chopsticks and closed his eyes, still thinking about it. _It explains a few things, especially about the Rasen Shuriken. According to what I heard, the attack forms minuscule wind blades of chakra that damage the opponent's cells, making it seem like quick poison rather than jutsu. I always wondered how Naruto could stand the attack since it probably damaged him as well; at least the hand holding the attack would've been damaged…_ the raven-haired boy frowned. _He could bear it only because he's insensitive. If Naruto had been able to feel chakra, he probably would've never been able to create that attack -- not to mention use it. The pain would've been unbearable…_

"More!" Naruto's demand snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts. The blond was holding his bowl out to Tsunami, and it seemed like his mouth was still full of food. Then, before Tsunami could take the bowl, Naruto's eyes widened. "Ugh!" he grunted, turning away and visibly swallowing the food that was apparently trying to rise up his throat.

"If you're going to just throw it up then stop eating!" Sakura growled at Naruto with frustration.

"No, I need to eat," Naruto said, wiping his mouth with his hand. "No matter what. I need to get stronger."

Sasuke blinked at the glance Naruto threw in his direction and the determination burning in the blond's eyes. _I guess the insensitivity_ does _bother him,_ the black-haired boy mused as Tsunami refilled Naruto's bowl. _If I know Naruto, he's probably going to master tree walking just to prove that the handicap won't hold him back._ For some reason the thought both amused and comforted him. _Anyone else would get depressed if they found out about something like that. He just gets more determined…_

And Sakura and Kakashi still dared to wonder why Sasuke thought Naruto would make an excellent Hokage.

While Naruto continued to eat, Sakura sighed with annoyance. She picked up her and Sasuke's dishes and helped Tsunami rinse them, before stepping to the side of the room while the others finished their food. Sasuke didn't pay much attention to her or to the way Naruto continued to eat as his thoughts turned again to Naruto's chakra insensitivity -- and what could be done about it.

 _It was never an issue in the future because no one knew about it, no one realise that Naruto had such a weakness. But it's still a weakness that can be exploited._ Sasuke sighed. _I need to think how to overcome it, how to make sure that it can't be used against Naruto…_

"Hey, why do you have a torn picture on the wall?" Sakura, who had been entertaining herself by examining the room, said while looking up at a picture hanging from the wall. Sasuke glanced up to see the torn family picture that was missing a corner. "It seems like someone has purposefully removed someone from this picture…" The girl glanced back towards the table. "Inari-kun was staring at this during lunch…."

There was a short, tense silence that made Sasuke remember their mission and the situation of the country of Wave. Honestly speaking, he hadn't really paid much attention to it. The revelations about Naruto had been more important to him -- and he had gone through this ordeal before. Only now he remembered that to the others this wasn't as familiar as it was to him.

"It's my husband," Tsunami answered while making tea for them and not looking back at them.

"And…" Tazuna smiled bitterly. "The man we once called the hero of our city."

 _Ah yes, the story about Inari's father who was put to death, I had forgotten about that._ Sasuke frowned, glancing at the others. Naruto perked up and Sakura frowned slightly. Kakashi, on other hand, looked bored -- which probably meant he was at least slightly interested. _With Kakashi you never really know…_

His thoughts trailed away as the kid himself slipped down from the table and walked away.  Tsunami, noticing that her son was leaving, turned to look at him. "Inari, where are you going?" she asked. The kid didn't answer, merely left, throwing the door shut behind him. "Inari!" the woman cried and then turned to glare at Tazuna. "Father, I told you not to talk about that man in front of Inari!" With that said, she left angrily too, probably hurrying after the boy.

Silence reined for a moment before Sakura spoke. "What's wrong with Inari-kun?"

Kakashi sat up carefully to get the tea Tsunami hadn't served. "There seems to be some kind of explanation," he mused, glancing back at Tazuna as he set out the tea cups. He was probably fishing for more detailed information about the situation of the Wave country -- it was his job, after all.

"Inari had a father not related by blood," Tazuna mused while the Jounin carried the crude tray with the tea to the table. "They were very close, like a real father and son… Inari laughed a lot back then, and wasn't like he is now…" The old man bowed his head. "But Inari changed since the incident with his father…"

The man lapsed into silence, and while the others took the man's bitter expression in, Sasuke turned his attention to his tea. He had heard the story before so he wasn't all that interested in it. The situation in Wave country didn't really matter to him that much anyway. So, instead of bothering to listen, he allowed his thoughts to wander back to Naruto's chakra insensitivity, listing the things he needed to do about it once they got back home.

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto pulled the teacup closer while leaning onto the table with his elbows. Though he tried not to show it too much, he kept his attention on Tazuna. He loved stories, especially ones about heroes. That had been one of his favourite things about Iruka-sensei -- he told the best stories. Especially the ones about the greatest hero of the Leaf, the Fourth Hokage. Those were Naruto's favourites -- especially now.

Pushing the thought away, he sipped the tea, still looking at the old man. Even though it looked like the story Tazuna was about to tell wasn't a happy one, if it had a hero in it, Naruto wanted to hear it.

"The word _courage_ was been stolen from the people of this country -- especially from Inari," the old bridge builder said, glaring at the table. "Ever since that day, because of that incident…" He said it in such a painful voice that it made all the four Shinobi look at him a bit sharper.

" _That_ incident?" Kakashi asked confusedly. "What happened to Inari-kun?"

 _I think Kakashi-sensei likes stories too,_ Naruto mused, smothering his amusement because it looked like Tazuna wouldn't have appreciated it right now. _It makes sense though. He's always reading that book of his -- and he's a sucker for sob stories too…_ Shaking his head, Naruto turned to look at Tazuna again.

The old man took off his glasses and wiped his eyes, which had started glimmering with tears. "Before I get to that, I first have to tell you about the man who was called a hero in this country," he said, slipping the glasses back on with sad sigh. "It was about three years ago when Inari met that man….

"He was bullied back then, Inari. Maybe it was because he didn't have a father or maybe the other kids just didn't like him. He had a dog though, so he wasn't alone." The old man smiled sadly. "Pochi, he called the dog. It was just a puppy back then, but Inari wouldn't go anywhere without him. However, one of the other kids decided to change that. Tried to steal Inari's dog… They had some sort of fight over it and the kid ended up throwing Pochi into the water."

Tazuna shook his head sadly. "Inari couldn't swim -- he still isn't too good at it -- so when Pochi was drowning, he couldn't do anything to save him. But the other kids didn't know that Inari couldn't swim. One of them pushed him into the water, telling him to save his dog, jeering at him…" The old man grimaced slightly. "When Pochi realised how to paddle, it was Inari who was in danger of drowning, not the dog. It hurt Inari a bit, I think. Pochi, naturally, swam to the shore, leaving Inari in the water to drown -- and the other kids didn't help Inari either. He could've died…"

Naruto was ensnared by the story. It wasn't anything like the stories Iruka-sensei told -- maybe because this wasn't just some story about history. Tazuna had seen this story take place himself. Or at least he had been nearby. It added new flavour to the storytelling -- and Tazuna told the story differently than Iruka-sensei would have, too. _Different storytellers, different styles of telling stories,_ the blond mused. _Kinda cool._

The grimace on the bridge builder's face melted into a slightly bitter smile. "He was saved, Inari was. He woke up on the shore near the pier where he had almost drowned. There was a man there, cooking fish by the fire. He told Inari that he had yelled at the other kids, taught them a lesson. He gave Inari some of his fish too… taught my grandson a real lesson about courage." Tazuna smiled. "He used to say that if you're a man, choose a life without regrets. If something is precious for you, no matter how tough, no matter how sad, you must try and try and try… and even if you lose your life, protect it with your own two arms."

Naruto blinked at the words and then smiled. _Yeah, yeah! That's right! That's what a man’s gotta do._ He nodded with appreciation. _That's what I'm going to do too!_

"He used to say that even if you die protecting something, proof of your life remains in the thing you protected…. With that sort of sentiment he became Inari's hero. No, he became a hero for many." Tazuna smiled sadly. "His name was Kaiza, a fisherman who came here to follow his dreams."

 _Fisherman, huh,_ Naruto thought with an amazed smile. _Even civilians can be heroes. I like that._

"After that meeting, Kaiza and Inari because very close. It may have been because Inari's real father died before he got to know him, but he and Kaiza were inseparable, like a real father and son." Tazuna chuckled. "You could never see one without the other. It was only a matter of time before Kaiza became part of the family -- so close a part that he even married my daughter…"

Naruto smiled. _And the hero gets the girl, right on,_ he thought happily. _This isn't such a sad story after all._

"Kaiza was the sort of man our country needed," Tazuna mused thoughtfully. "We have some tough men around here, but not like Kaiza. He was made of steel compared to us. Whenever something happened and people needed help, Kaiza was the one they asked. There was one time when rain was overflowing the dams. An area of our town was in danger of being flooded unless the dam gates were closed, but no one dared to swim over the raging currents. It seemed like suicide. But Kaiza did it fearlessly."

The bridge builder sighed. "With acts like that, Kaiza became the hero of our town. We trusted him like one would trust a mountain, we believed that he was invincible at times. He was our hero and Inari couldn't have been prouder of his father… but then Gatou came to the town…"

Naruto frowned a little at the change of mood. The expression on Tazuna's face darkened and for a moment he couldn't continue. "And then this incident happened?" Kakashi was the one to urge the man to speak -- solidifying Naruto's belief that Kakashi liked stories as much as he did. "What exactly happened?"

Tazuna didn't answer for a while, merely stared at the table with a dark frown. Then finally he spoke with pained voice. "In front of everyone Kaiza was… put to death by Gatou."

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura perked up too, Kakashi's eye narrowed, and even Sasuke glanced at the bridge builder. _Okay, not a happy story,_ the blond decided, raising his head slightly.

"Gatou snatched Kaiza and had him tied to a pole in the town square where everyone could see. Then he had his men gather everyone around to see it." The bridge builder grimaced. "He said that Kaiza had been 'conducting terrorist activities against the Gatou Corporation' and that Kaiza had been 'disturbing the country's peace'. Everyone knew he was lying, but what could we do against someone like Gatou, who had dozens of mercenaries on his payroll? Kaiza was put to death… and Inari saw it."

Tazuna sighed heavily. "From that day, Inari changed. Tsunami did too and the whole town…"

Naruto frowned, burying his nose against his arms. Inari's words echoed in his mind. 'Are you stupid? There's no such thing as a hero!' the kid had said upon their first meeting. And then, not much later, he had been sobbing in his room, for the father who wasn't there anymore….

For some reason it touched something inside Naruto, something he couldn't allow to be touched. It hurt and burned and Naruto couldn't stand it. Almost angrily the blond stood up. _No such things as heroes… I can't allow someone to think that, I can't allow someone to lose their belief like that. No such things as heroes… of course there are heroes!_

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked as Naruto headed towards the door with determined steps.

"If you're thinking of training, don't. You should take the rest of the day off," Kakashi said, frowning after him. "You've released too much chakra as it is. Anymore and you could die -- or at least end up in my state."

 _Yeah, I know that. Chakra exhaustion is bad and I can't even feel it. I'm weak and handicapped, blah blah. Whatever,_ Naruto growled in his mind. "I'm going to prove it," he muttered. _That I'm not weak, that I can overcome this chakra insensitivity crap… that I can be the best. That I can become the Hokage Sasuke wants me to become._ "I'm going to prove that in this world… heroes do exist!"

As he headed out, he could hear someone getting up in the room behind him. "I'm going with him." The words surprised the blond slightly, making him stop. It was Sasuke -- and he seemed almost… satisfied? "Are you going or not?" the Uchiha asked calmly.

The fact that Sasuke wanted to come with him meant more than Naruto could comprehend. Definitely more than he could put into words. So he just nodded and grinned. "Yeah!"

Thanks to the look in his friend's eyes, Naruto got a feeling that Sasuke understood some of it anyway.

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke sighed while looking over a sleeping Naruto. Ever since Tazuna's story, Naruto had been training almost non-stop. He only stopped to eat and sleep; every other moment of his time was spent racing up trees. Whilst Naruto's determination had satisfied Sasuke greatly in the beginning -- it was a solid proof that Naruto would not let the insensitivity hold him back -- now it had gone too far. Naruto hadn't stopped for the entire night and had eventually fallen asleep in the field near their training spot.

Sasuke could've woken Naruto up and forced him to head back to the house, but seeing how tired Naruto was, he’d decided that letting him rest wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't like they would get sick from sleeping outside -- especially not Naruto -- and Sasuke had enjoyed the night away from Kakashi and Sakura.

The raven-haired Genin stretched his hands. _There is training, which is what Sakura does, then there is hard training, which is what I do… and then there is insane training for the likes of Naruto and Lee,_ he mused, leaning back and looking at how birds had gathered over the sleeping Naruto, as if confused about him. _Sometimes I can't help but wonder if Naruto knows the notion of_ too much _at all. Either he doesn't or he completely ignores it. That and giving up -- if he's bad at something then it is at giving up. Not that it's a bad thing…_

A small smile tugged on the raven-haired boy's lips before he wiped it away and looked up at the sky -- or what little he could see of it past the trees. It wasn't only Naruto who was trying hard, though. Every morning and evening when she wasn't out with Tazuna, Sakura was training too. She had taken to the habit of jogging around the house now. Water walking wasn't difficult for her at all, but it was taxing -- she needed to take breaks often if she didn't want to drop through the surface. The time between breaks was getting longer, though -- the training was working.

He had, with Sakura and Naruto, approached Kakashi about having Naruto help around the bridge's construction site with the clones. Naruto, after hearing the story about Kaiza and realising just how much the country needed Tazuna's bridge, had wanted to help even more than before. Kakashi, however, had said a flat no. At least until Naruto was done with the tree walking exercise, he wouldn't be allowed to make any clones. Sasuke was relieved because of it. Naruto was overworking himself already as it was; he didn't need excessive use of Kage Bunshin to make things harder.

 _Well, Naruto is about done with this training,_ Sasuke mused. _I'm not a hundred percent sure how he's doing it, but he has learned to measure the chakra he uses -- at least to some extent…_ He looked up as he sensed a cautious presence.

At first he thought that it was a girl, perhaps one of the girls from the town… but his senses -- and memories -- told him differently. His face stayed strictly in its half-curious expression as his mind supplied him with all the information he needed about the person approaching them. The person was the ninja working with Zabuza, the one who had played the part of the hunter nin -- the one who, in the original timeline, had been killed by Kakashi's Raikiri, the one whose prison of ice mirrors Sasuke hadn't been able to break.

The ninja -- Sasuke couldn't remember his name -- was dressed in strictly civilian clothing and Sasuke could sense no weapons on him. Because there was no malicious chakra around him, no killing intent or anything of that sort, Sasuke didn't bother getting alert even though it was the enemy. He could remember this encounter. It had been Naruto alone last time; Sasuke had only seen the ninja walking away after he had spent some time with Naruto. Since Naruto had survived through that encounter, this ninja probably wasn't here to kill them.

 _Fighting him right now wouldn't be a good idea anyway,_ Sasuke mused. _If we were to fight him, it might alert Zabuza -- especially if we kill this fake hunter-nin._ _Kakashi isn't a hundred percent yet… and right now neither are we, not after spending most of our energy training. We haven't even had anything to eat since yesterday…_

_Besides, we're supposed to protect Tazuna, not fight enemy ninja. Tazuna isn't here so unless this guy does something, I won't do anything._

As if feeling his gaze, the long-haired ninja looked up. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I didn't notice you there," he said. Even his voice was feminine. His eyes skipped from Sasuke to Naruto and he frowned slightly. Sasuke watched his expressions calmly, ready to unsheathe his tantou should the enemy make a threatening move.

"Should he be sleeping out here like that?" the Mist ninja asked instead, his frown melting away along with the slightest tension that had briefly taken over his form. "He's going to catch cold like this."

Sasuke blinked and glanced at his companion. "He's been sleeping here the whole night. Don't worry, it's probably nothing he hasn't experienced before," he said before reaching to nudge Naruto's side with his foot. "Oi, Naruto. Wake up."

"Hngh, five more minutes…" Naruto mumbled, turning to his side only to be nudged by Sasuke's foot again. "Alright, alright, I'm awake," the blond groaned and sat up. As he rubbed his eyes sleepily, Sasuke glanced at their enemy. The long-haired ninja was smiling amusedly at their antics.

"How long have I been out?" Naruto asked with a wide yawn, then noticed the feminine ninja standing nearby. "Huh? Who're you?"

"I'm Haku," the Mist-nin chuckled, making a small waving motion with his hand before raising the handbasket he was carrying. "I'm here to gather some medicinal herbs," he said before looking at them curiously. "Why are you two here this early?

"More like this late," Sasuke said, standing up. _Medicinal herbs? For Zabuza, I guess_ , he thought silently while stretching. He hadn't slept much, but he was slightly stiff even so.

"We're training! Well, we were last night. I guess I fell asleep." Naruto chuckled, jumping up and following Sasuke's example. After a few simple stretches he looked like he was ready to go at it again. "Gathering medicine, huh?" he then asked. "You sure are working early, lady."

 _Sometimes he's perceptive, sometimes not, huh?_ Sasuke mused while Haku threw an amused look at Naruto. _Well, as long as this guy doesn't try anything, I guess it's fine._

"Someone I hold dear is a bit ill. I'm hoping to find something I can use to make him heal quicker here," Haku said, looking at the basket in his hands. "It seems like the herb I'm looking for isn't all that abundant around here, though."

"Well, what'cha looking for?" Naruto asked, glancing at Sasuke. "Maybe we can help. I mean… we worked pretty hard yesterday, taking the morning off from training isn't a bad idea, huh, Sasuke?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment before stuffing his hands into his pockets and shrugging. "It could work as a warm up I guess," he said and turned to Haku. "What are you looking for then?"

A little later they were walking around the woods, looking for the specific herb Haku needed. Naruto was looking around with his usual enthusiasm, but Sasuke wasn't all that excited -- he was more concerned about keeping an eye on their new friend and making sure he wouldn't do anything drastic.

 _This is certainly an interesting situation, though,_ he mused, throwing a look at Naruto, who was checking underneath some bushes. _Somehow very Naruto-like. But why bother with fighting since this guy doesn't seem interested in it? It's too early in the morning for battling anyway…._

"You said that you're out here training, right?" Haku asked Sasuke while Naruto ran a bit ahead. "You both have head bands…. Could it be that you're ninja?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded glancing at the Mist-nin. _Has this guy noticed that I realised who he is?_

"Why are you training so hard?" the elder ninja just asked, looking ahead.

"To get stronger." Sasuke shrugged, looking ahead at Naruto, who was crouching on the ground and examining some random patch of plants. "To get better."

"You already look plenty strong," Haku said thoughtfully.

"It's never enough." Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily, faces of countless enemies flashing behind his eyelids. _There are too many enemies out there, too many people who are stronger than we are,_ he thought grimly as he opened his eyes. _Too many that could threaten my plan. Entirely too many._ "We need to become stronger than we are, and it's never enough."

Haku looked at him thoughtfully. Hoisting the basket to his arm, he looked up at the sky. "Why is that?" he asked. "Why do you have to become stronger, why isn't it enough?"

"Because there is always someone stronger than you out there," the raven-haired Leaf Genin answered. "Unless we get stronger, those people could ruin everything we have and everything we are." _Orochimaru and the Sound, Itachi and the Akatsuki, all those enemies… they can ruin everything unless Naruto gets stronger -- unless I get stronger. I can't allow that, so he must get stronger._

"Everything you have…" Haku hummed thoughtfully. "So you're protecting something precious?" he glanced at Sasuke and when the younger ninja didn't answer, he chuckled. "Do you… have someone who is important to you?" he asked. "When a person has something important to protect… that's when they can truly become strong."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed. _Took me forever to admit it, but…. Yeah… that's true._ He motioned ahead to Naruto. "Naruto's the prime example of that."

"Hm?" Haku asked confusedly.

"Naruto. When we were still learning in the academy, he was the dead last of our class." Sasuke shook his head, pushing his hands into his pockets again. _Why am I telling him this…?_ "But he's stronger now. And he will become stronger. Because he lives by that moral -- he's trying to get stronger so that he can protect people. It’s pretty much all he cares for… so yeah. I know what you mean."

"What about you?" the long-haired ninja beside him asked. "Do you have someone precious you want to protect?"

"Him." Sasuke nodded in Naruto's direction. "I'm going to protect him. And he's going to become my Hokage one day and then he'll… Until that day I will follow him and watch over his back."

For the first time since meeting them, Haku actually looked a bit shocked. Before he could say anything -- not that he looked like he knew what to say -- Naruto called for them from ahead. "I think I found the right plant!" the blond yelled. "There's lot of them here!"

Haku confirmed that they were the right plants, and then told them what type he needed; he wanted the young and bright green plants because the younger ones were purer. While they crouched down to gather the right sort of herbs, the long-haired Mist-nin looked at Naruto. "Your friend said that you're going become Hokage one day," he said carefully. "Why?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked up, glanced at Sasuke, and then smiled. "Um why… there are lots of reasons. Because I want to make people feel safe around me, because I want to protect them… Well, I still kinda want to make them acknowledge me as strong ninja, but it's more about wanting to protect my precious people." He pointed at Sasuke. "And him. He's not going to let me rest before I become Hokage."

"Damn straight," Sasuke murmured, keeping his eyes on the plants. Before Naruto became Hokage, there was no way he could completely relax in the Hidden Leaf.

"Why?" Haku seemed honestly curious. "Don't you like the current Hokage?"

"Well, it's not that we don't like him." Naruto sat on his knees and folded his hands with a thoughtful look on his face. "He's alright I guess, old man Third. But he ain't going to be Hokage forever, you know. He's old."

"I don't…" Sasuke mused. "I think Naruto will be better Hokage than the Third is. The Third was good, but there was a reason why the Leaf had a Fourth." He snorted and turned his eyes back to the plants. "The old man's losing his touch."

Naruto frowned and then shrugged. "Could be," he murmured, frowning slightly and plucking another plant from the ground. Then he grinned, pointing at Sasuke with the plant. "When I'm going to be the Hokage, Sasuke's gonna be my second-hand man!"

Sasuke snorted. "Idiot," he murmured. Naruto threw the plant at him at retaliation, only to pout when Sasuke caught it in mid-air. "Don't waste good herbs."

"Alright, alright," the blond said, sighing.

Haku chuckled at them again and concentrated on the plants for a while again. Soon the basket was almost full of plants. "I think I have enough now," he said, sitting up. "Thank you for helping me."

"It was no biggie." Naruto grinned and sat up. Sasuke did the same, his eyes resting on Haku.

The enemy-nin smiled at them and turned to leave. "You two will become strong," he said, walking away. "Let's meet again somewhere."

"Sure!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"Oh, and by the way…" Haku glanced at them over his shoulder. "I'm a boy."

"Say what?!" Naruto yelped, turning to look at Sasuke as the Mist-nin walked away. "He's even girlier than Sakura! You thought that he was girl too, right?"

"No." Sasuke just turned around to leave the field of herbs. _That was an interesting encounter… it doesn't mean that I will hold back on him if… no, when we fight. We met on neutral grounds maybe, but we're still enemies._ "Come on, Naruto. We better head to Tazuna's house.We need to eat something."

Naruto blinked and ran after him. "No way. You knew Haku was a boy?"

 

* * *

 

 

"Construction is still progressing slowly?" Kakashi asked as he and Sakura made their way to the site where Naruto and Sasuke trained. He was still leaning on a single crutch, but it had already been a week since he had gotten injured, so he was almost healed.

"Yeah. Tazuna-san doesn't have enough people. He only has seven workers left." Sakura sighed, brushing her hand over her neck. "I started helping around, fetching tools for them when they need it, but I can't do much."

"You're really hoping that Naruto with his Kage Bunshin could help, hm?" Kakashi glanced at the girl.

"He's physically stronger than I am. It's not that difficult, the work, so even he could learn it. And since all his clones have the same mind, they can work together seamlessly," Sakura said. "If he could learn the work, then he would be pretty useful around the construction site.

"We were ordered to protect Tazuna, not to help him finish the bridge," the teacher said neutrally, though he could understand Sakura's point of view. In the D-ranks they had learned to rely on Naruto's clones and Kakashi couldn't deny how seamlessly the clones worked together. Since the second Genin exam, the bell test, Naruto had learned not to fight amongst himself. Now the clones always worked as one, and it was quite efficient -- especially since it was Naruto.

 _Sakura has been spending time with Tazuna and his workers, and has gained an understanding of their situation,_ Kakashi mused. _She has seen the town more closely and I hear she has watched at least three people quit around the construction site. She sympathises with them -- and because she has learned to rely on Naruto to work alone as a large sum of people, he is her solution for this situation…._

The Jounin stifled a snort. _I wonder if it's Sasuke's doing or if Naruto did it accidentally. I know that Sakura doesn't quite realise it yet, but she's relying on Naruto. Either Sasuke's plan is working on her, or Naruto is a natural at turning people's heads…._

"If they've mastered the tree climbing, then they will join you at the construction site -- me too if my body is done healing by tomorrow," Kakashi said calmly. "If Naruto wants to, then I guess there's nothing stopping him from helping with the construction."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura smiled and then looked up. They had come to the trees where Sasuke and Naruto were supposed to be training.

"Now where are those two…?" Kakashi glanced around. Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't see Sasuke either.

"They left again by themselves before I woke up," Sakura said, looking around as well. "Missed their breakfast again, too. On top of that, they spent the night before yesterday out. Those two are working too hard."

"They're determined," Kakashi said calmly. _Naruto is determined to prove Inari wrong and Sasuke is determined to help Naruto do it, whether he would word it quite like that or not…_ "Though I guess sometimes they go too far…"

His words were cut by a kunai that fell to the ground between him and Sakura. He and his female student looked up to see Naruto sitting on a tree branch. "Hehe!" The blond waved at them. "What do you think? I can climb this high now!"

"He climbed up there? Wow," Sakura said with small bit of awe while Kakashi chuckled with approval.

Up in the tree branch, Naruto sat up with a stretch. "Man, I'm hungry," he yawned, stretching harder… and then wavered dangerously.

"Naruto, you idiot, sit back down! If you fall from that height…!" Sakura screamed.

 _Even though he is a ninja, falling from that high up will injure him worse than I am right now,_ Kakashi took step forward with a worried frown. "Naruto sit back down, you don't want to --" He couldn't finish as Naruto yelped out and then fell backwards. _Damn! With my body still weak, I can't…!_

In the tree branch Naruto fell… and then flipped to the underside of it. "Just kidding!" He grinned at them and stood on the bottom of the branch with his hands folded. Seeing their faces, he burst into laughter. "Haha! You fell for it!"

"You scared me you idiot!" Sakura cried out to Naruto.

Kakashi sighed, seeing that Naruto had a sturdy footing on the underside of the tree branch. _He learned it. He, a chakra insensitive, learned to channel his chakra to a certain spot – a difficult spot, too. I… wasn't sure if he could do it._ The teacher smiled underneath his mask. _Sasuke is right to trust Naruto. Without even realising, this kid is a bit of a genius._

Then Naruto's feet released from the tree branch. "Ah!" the blond cried out as he started to fall. Kakashi could see that this time Naruto wasn't joking -- there was nothing for him to ground himself to, nothing to grab a hold of. While Sakura screamed at Naruto to stop showing off, Kakashi took a helpless step forward. But what could he do when he still needed the support of a crutch?

Naruto didn't fall for long, though. With a speed Kakashi wasn't completely sure Sasuke could manage, the third Genin ran up the tree and grabbed a hold of Naruto's foot as he fell. "That's what you get for showing off," the raven-haired Genin said with a frown.

"Sasuke!" Naruto grinned at the other boy, clearly relieved to see him there. Sasuke just snorted at him and swung him so that he could reach to take hold of the tree trunk.

"Yay! Sasuke, you're the best!" Sakura cheered beside the Jounin, who sighed with relief.

 _These guys are growing well,_ he mused. _Naruto's control isn't perfect yet, but he's getting there, despite the handicap, he's getting there. And Sasuke… I guess I can stop worrying about Naruto now. The Uchiha has proved time and time again that he's watching Naruto's back._ Underneath the mask Kakashi smiled. _Not bad at all._

"Tomorrow you two can come with us to the construction site," he decided, looking up at the two boys. Naruto was now crouching vertically on the tree branch and it looked like Sasuke was silently scolding him for doing something stupid and dangerous. _Heh. Sasuke's like a mother hen at times,_ the Jounin mused. "Did you hear me guys?"

"Yeah, yeah, tomorrow, construction." Naruto nodded, glancing at Sasuke who was still standing on the underside of the tree branch from where Naruto had fallen. "I think I'm going to keep on training for the rest of the day, though," he said, though Kakashi wasn't sure why. Was it because he wasn't satisfied with his own results, or because Sasuke was scolding him in his weird manner?

 _Well, it’s a good idea nonetheless,_ the Jounin decided. "You should eat some breakfast before you continue," he said, turning around to head back to Tazuna's house. "You’ll need the strength." Glancing back he saw Sakura waiting until Naruto and Sasuke got down. Only then the three followed him, making him smile. _Not a bad bunch of students, these three… one day they will be one heck of a team._

Later that day, while Sasuke and Naruto were again training outside, Kakashi decided that he had allowed his body to rest enough. Asking Tazuna and Sakura to help him, he tested if he had regained the rest of his strength -- by doing single-handed push-ups with one finger while Tazuna and Sakura sat on him.

"I wanted to ask you earlier, but…" Tazuna hesitated, slightly put out by the fact that Kakashi actually could do push-ups like that. "Why are you still here, when I lied to you about this mission?"

"Hm… 'To abandon your duty is not courageous. Below the courageous there is nothing,'" Kakashi quoted, lowering his weight and pushing it up again. "These are the words of the previous Hokage. That is the way Shinobi are. Shinobi do not move because of money alone." _I'm not about to start forsaking my sensei's teacherings now. Especially not when I have students like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Sasuke wouldn't care but Naruto and Sakura probably wouldn't forgive me if we were to forsake this place now._

Changing hands he concentrated on working out. _My body is almost back to normal. Zabuza is probably back to a hundred percent too…_ the look in his single visible eye darkened. _I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be an interesting day._

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto gasped for breath, sticking his kunai into possibly the thinnest part of his tree's trunk. He and Sasuke had made to the top -- to the very top of the goddamn trees that were possibly the highest ones in the entire forest. Though during the time they had spent racing up them, Naruto had built a strange fondness towards the tree. Now he was a little sorry for carving so many cuts into it.

"Time to go back?" Sasuke, who was standing on his tree's top-most branch, asked. He, unlike Naruto, wasn't quite panting but Naruto knew that the training had taken its toll on him too. Sasuke was just too cool to show it.

"In a minute, let me catch my breath first," Naruto panted, hugging the thin tree trunk. Wiping some sweat from his eyes, he relaxed slightly against the trunk and looked up at the sky. "Wow, it's really late huh?" he said, noticing that the sickle of a moon was shining down on them.

Sasuke glanced up too and shook his head. "I suppose," he mused, crouching down on the tree trunk. Then he glanced at the blond who was now leaning his cheek against his tree. "Tomorrow we're going to protect Tazuna. Excited?"

"A bit. It would be cool if we could go with Sakura's plan and I could work on the construction," Naruto hummed. "Being a part of making something that big and lasting… I like that."

"Hmm." Sasuke nodded. "When we go out tomorrow, I want you to leave some clones at Tazuna's house. So far our team has had Tazuna and his family both covered since Kakashi has been at the house the entire time, but he wants all of us at the bridge tomorrow…"

"And that leaves Tsunami and Inari open. Alright, alright." Naruto nodded with a grin. "I'll have my Kage Bunshin to watch their back."

"Good." Sasuke nodded. "Time to get back now," he then said firmly. "We need food."

"Alright, alright, let's go." Naruto nodded, took his kunai and started to wearily make his way down the tree trunk. Sasuke did the same, though he wasn't as weary as Naruto was.

On their way, Naruto eventually ended up leaning on Sasuke. "You've used more energy than I have, it's understandable," Sasuke said while hoisting Naruto's arm over his shoulder. "With the insensitivity you can't feel the amount of chakra you spent and on top of that you still have the weighs on."

"And here I was trying to forget all that," Naruto sighed. "I'm fine! I'm not gonna let this handicap crap keep me down."

"I know that." Sasuke smirked at him. The small bit of pride in his friend's eyes made Naruto grin. The raven-haired boy snorted at him -- it sounded almost fond. "But it makes things a bit more difficult for you, so you need to keep it in mind every now and then. Don't train until you're too exhausted to move properly. Despite everything, it's not good for you."

"Yes, yes, I shan't forget," Naruto promised.

When they came to Tazuna's house, the others were eating a late dinner. "Oh, you guys are finally back, huh?" Tazuna asked from his seat. "What's this? You look really dirty and worn out."

"Heh. We trained hard and finally made to the top!" Naruto grinned. "Both of us!"

"Alright." Kakashi nodded. "Tomorrow you won't be training anymore, but you still need to regain your energy. Eat and then rest." The Jounin glanced at Tazuna. "Tomorrow Naruto and Sasuke will also help protect you, Tazuna-san."

"Alright." The bridge builder smiled. "I'm worn out too. It's hard work building the bridge. I need to eat and rest too, and tomorrow we continue! At this rate the bridge will be completed in another month."

"You shouldn't overwork yourself, father," Tsunami said while carrying some food to the table for Naruto and Sasuke. "You too, Naruto-kun."

"A hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do." Naruto grinned while accepting the food. "Thanks. I'm starved."

As he started to eat, he didn't miss the look Inari was giving him. Making it seem like he hadn't noticed, he concentrated on eating. He knew that look, though. The look of such painful frustration that it forced tears out of your eyes. He hated that look. He had seen it too many times; he had worn it too many times.

And just like that he remembered the Naruto from long ago, the helpless Naruto who hadn't had a clear goal, the pitiful kid he had been way before the Ninja academy…

Inari broke. "Why do you guys bother trying so hard?!" the boy yelled at them, at Naruto and Tazuna both. "No matter how hard you train it's not going to matter! You're still no match for Gatou's men! No matter what claims you make or how hard you work… when facing the strong the weak will only end up getting killed!"

Naruto glanced at the kid with a frown. "Whatever, kid," he said then. _I hate those words. My words. I'm not like that anymore._ "I'm not like you." _I'm stronger now._

"I'd hate to be like you!" Inari screamed at him, tears of anger running down his face. "You don't know anything about this country and you're still being so nosy!" The boy sat up, his chair falling over as he did. "What the hell do you know about me?! I'm different from you! You're always clowning around and acting so cheerful! You don't know how hard life can be!"

 _...what?_ Naruto looked up, feeling insulted, hurt, angry, and annoyed at the same time. _What the hell do I know about you, well what the hell do you know about me?!_ "So it's okay for you to pose as the star of a tragedy and cry all day?" he asked cuttingly, and glared at the boy. "You just keep on crying, you idiot!" _Just stay weak! Stay as you are if you want to! It didn't help me, and it's definitely not going to help you!_ "You little sissy!"

Silence followed his words as he took the plate he had been polishing off and sat up. _Like hell am I going to listen to this crap anymore,_ he thought, turning around to leave. Sakura yelled after him, saying that he had said too much but he didn't care. "Hmph," he just snorted and left the room. "I'll eat on the porch."

He wasn't all that surprised when Sasuke followed him out some five minutes later. The raven-haired Uchiha didn't say anything and Naruto didn't look up, just kept eating. After a moment of hovering over his shoulder, Sasuke turned around. But instead of leaving, he sat down directly behind the blond, facing away from him. The sentiment wasn't spoken but it was understood nonetheless. _I've got your back._

Naruto closed his eyes and continued to eat. His shoulders relaxed slightly. _Thanks._


	9. Tragic Blood

Sakura opened the door to the room where Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi used for sleeping. Kakashi was up already, helping Tsunami make breakfast, but the boys hadn't yet made an appearance that morning. Looking into their room, the girl saw that Naruto was still blissfully sleeping. Sasuke on other hand was rolling his futons out of the way.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted her black-haired teammate, glancing at Naruto, who seemed dead to the world. "Naruto is still sleeping?" she asked the obvious more to start a conversation rather than out of curiosity. With the way Naruto had looked the previous night, it was no wonder that he was still sleeping. "Do you think he overdid it yesterday?"

"When doesn't he?" Sasuke muttered, sitting down on the floor with his knees neatly folded underneath him. "I'll wake him when breakfast is done. That ought to wake him."

Remembering the times back at the Uchiha compound -- and just how many times Naruto tended to whine that he was hungry, Sakura grinned. Stepping into the room and sitting on the floor near the black-haired boy, the pink-haired girl looked at the blond. "He got a bit mad yesterday. At Inari I mean," she then murmured, glancing at the other Genin. "Do you know why?"

"Hn." Sasuke just shrugged.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get an answer, Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto. Yesterday night had been the first time she had seen Naruto actually mad. Sure, she had seen him angry and concentrated -- which especially during battle made him look like he was angry -- but that was it. Even though she had known him for few years, she had never seen him mad on a personal level.

 _I've never seen Naruto take an insult that seriously,_ Sakura mused thoughtfully. _Actually, I'm not sure if I've ever seen him actually insulted. I've seen people insult him plenty, but he always just smiles and laughs at it… how strange._

"Are you still worried about him?" she then asked the boy sitting beside her. When Sasuke threw a look of annoyed confusion at her, she quickly clarified. "I mean because of the chakra insensitivity? Is that why he overworked himself yesterday?"

"It might be. It's easy for him to push himself over his limits when he can't even feel the limits." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "But I'm not worried as much as I'm annoyed about it. It doesn't matter right now, though." He shook his head. "We'll think about it more once we get to the Leaf and can get a specialist to look at him."

"I've been thinking about that," Sakura said, remembering some of her ponderings. "You keep saying chakra specialist. There are really people like that?"

"Plenty," Sasuke said, nodding. "Most of them are from the Hyuuga clan since they can see chakra and chakra coils, but at one time there were a few Uchihas who also specialised in understanding chakra. They're usually at least partially trained in medicine and Ijutsu." He leaned back a bit, a thoughtful look on his face. "Kakashi should probably get himself checked by a specialist too but I doubt he will. It seems like he recovered well so it's probably unnecessary."

"Huh?" Sakura asked with confusion.

"The charka exhaustion might've done damage to his chakra coils." Sasuke shrugged. "If he had been in the Leaf's hospital during the exhaustion, they would've automatically checked him. All badly injured ninja are checked. And ANBU and hunter-nin have to get themselves checked regularly because damage to their chakra coils might hinder their work and get them killed."

"That make sense," the girl said, nodding. "Can you become one of these specialists even if you're not an Uchiha or a Hyuuga?"

"Someone like you with no eye-based skills?" The black-haired boy thought about it. "It might be possible. There are some special skills in Ijutsu which allow the medic-nin to feel the patient's chakra coils and pretty much everything else inside them…. But as far as I know they're so complicated that only a handful of people have managed to actually get that point. Also, Ijutsu of that level are just as tightly guarded as high level Ninjutsu -- not just anyone can learn them." He shook his head. "And if one gets to that point in their studies, they're worth a lot more as a medic-nin than as a chakra specialist."

"Ah." Sakura nodded. Before they had started to organise the Uchiha library weeks ago, she hadn't realised that there was so much to the medical aspects of a ninja's life. In the academy they had been taught the very basics of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu -- and what little they had learned of other jutsu had usually been just a passing mention. The only Ijutsu related stuff they had been taught was first-aid and that as about it, and bandaging wounds wasn't exactly complicated.

"Why don't they teach this stuff at the academy?" she then wondered. "I barely even heard about Ijutsu back there -- mostly it was about rules, about fighting, and about survival…."

"Because the academy just makes us possible ninjas," Sasuke answered. "We're just potential right now. It's up to our Jounin sensei to teach us whatever he deems is the best. Be it Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Ijutsu or whatever, it's up to Kakashi to teach it all to us. The academy just made sure that we might be up to learning it."

"You mean Kakashi could decide what we will learn?" Sakura asked.

"He's the teacher. If he decided so, he could turn us all into Genjutsu users," Sasuke said, snorting. "I doubt he will, but that's what he's supposed to do. As far as I know, Genin teams like ours are usually trained for specific tasks. Tracking, recon, spying, assault, assassination, support…  There have even been Genin teams which were all taught Ijutsu and nothing else, but I think that hasn't happened in a while. And then the specialized teams take missions that suit their skills."

"And… what kind of team is ours?" Sakura asked uncertainly. Sasuke and Naruto were both decent fighters and Sasuke had some ability with Ninjutsu, but she wasn't good at anything else but book knowledge and possibly chakra control.

"I don't know yet." The black-haired boy shrugged. "Kakashi hasn't tried to teach anything but chakra control to us. It might be that our team won't ever specialise in anything specific."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Sakura asked.

"Bad." Sasuke shook his head. "If there's a team that works best together with all the members seamlessly backing each other… they won't break a team like that. Teams like that are valuable and usually efficient. But with a team of individuals who can't work together and who all have a different range of skills that don't match… teams like that are broken and the members are assigned to jobs where their skills work the best."

"So… our team might be broken up?" Sakura asked with small voice.

"Not at this stage, because we’re still untalented. But should you start to specialise in something, for example, and if you get really good at it… they might take you off this team and put you somewhere where your skills are of use, some other team or facility, maybe even a squad of some level…." Sasuke shrugged. "Same for me and Naruto. People with good skills aren't left in otherwise poor teams after all."

Sakura didn't know what to answer to that and she was almost relieved when she heard Tsunami call for them. "Seems like breakfast is ready," she murmured.

"Go eat. I'll wake Naruto and we'll be right there," the black-haired boy said. As Sakura sat up, Sasuke glanced at her thoughtfully. "There is still plenty of time for us to become a seamless team. And if we become good enough, they might never break apart this team. It depends on us," he said, turning to the blond and shaking Naruto's shoulder. "Oi, Naruto. You'll miss breakfast."

"Huh? Miso pork fest?" Naruto mumbled incoherently. With a chuckle Sakura left the room, feeling a little better.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Sasuke seems to be one well of knowledge,_ Kakashi mused as they got ready to leave. _It seems like he knows a bit more about the specifics of ninja structure than a normal Genin should. But then again that's no wonder, is it? He comes from a long line of skilled ninjas and on top of that he seems to have all the journals and such of these ninjas. And though he's not as bookish as Sakura, he seems to have done his share of reading._

Glancing around, Kakashi smiled behind his mask. Naruto had tried to be stealthy about it but Kakashi hadn't missed the appearance of four shadow clones that were now well hidden around -- and one under -- Tazuna's house. It had probably been Sasuke's idea. Kakashi would've congratulated the Uchiha for the good thinking but he wasn't supposed to know about the clones. _I doubt it's necessary since Gatou is after Tazuna, but it's a good thinking nonetheless._

"Is everyone ready to go?" he asked, glancing at Sasuke and Sakura. "Where's Naruto?

"I'm here, I'm here!" the blond answered, rushing into the room, pulling his jacket on. "I was brushing my teeth." Despite overworking himself the day before and looking like the living dead at breakfast, Naruto seemed to be his usual energetic self. Zipping the jacket shut, he grinned at them. "I'm good to go."

"Good, though next time try and get ready to go a bit sooner," Kakashi said solemnly. "Life won't wait for you. You snooze you lose."

"That means so much coming from you, mister ‘ _I got lost on the path of life which is why I'm three hours late.'_ " Naruto rolled his eyes before grinning. "Can we get going already? I can't wait to see the bridge from the top!"

"We're just waiting for Tazuna. Since it’s our job to protect him, we can't exactly leave without him," Kakashi said, chuckling.

 _Although, Sasuke made a good point,_ the Jounin mused as they waited for their client. _Most Genin teams are specialised in certain tasks. Kurenai, I hear, is going for a tracking based team while Asuma is going to make his team a remake of the Ino-Shika-Cho team of the kid's fathers. Inoichi's, Shikaku's and Choza's team was legendary at one time for their flawless teamwork; it would be a great thing if their children would become a team such as theirs…._   Then there was the previous batch of Genin and along with them Gai's team. Gai had a good team too, a well-formed assault team.

 Kakashi sighed. He hadn't given much thought about training his team to specialise in something. In his opinion there hadn't really been any need -- the team had been doomed to break apart from the very beginning. How could it not, with Sasuke there? As much as the boy seemed to dislike the thought, he wasn't meant for a team like this. No, Sasuke belonged in ANBU or possibly with the hunter-nin. He had a ways to go before then, that much was true, but that was where he was no doubt heading. That was where people wanted him to head.

_With the vendetta he has for his brother… Sasuke could grow to become a decent hunter-nin. He certainly seems to have good basics for it -- for an untrained Genin his medical knowledge is on the right track. And he seems to have a healthy amount of common sense, a useful trait for a hunter-nin…. And if his Sharingan manifests…_

To his disgust, because of that possibility Kakashi hadn't given the team much thought. He had planned to just guide Sasuke until some other section of their village claimed him, and then Naruto and Sakura would've been passed onto people who could've honed them into whatever their next teachers deemed they should be. Or even if he would've remained as Sakura's and Naruto's teacher, teaching them to work together would've been safer once Sasuke had left. Getting them adjusted to Sasuke's presence on the team would've only harmed their teamwork once the Uchiha was assigned elsewhere and Naruto and Sakura were left alone…

But now Kakashi was slowly starting to realise that Sasuke wouldn't stand for that. Not with the way he looked after Naruto, not with the way he was constantly teaching Sakura. If he had plans for the future, they didn't involve leaving Naruto and Sakura behind.

 _I guess I need to reevaluate my plans for this team. Or make some, seeing that I didn't really make any._ Kakashi sighed and glanced up as Tazuna walked towards them. _It will have to wait untill we return to the Hidden Leaf, though. Right now I need to keep my focus on this mission._

"Let's get going then," Kakashi said, motioning the Genin to follow. Tazuna bid his farewells to Tsunami and soon they started to head away from the house, leaving Naruto's hidden clones to watch it.

 

* * *

 

 

Haku looked around, not sure if he was supposed to be sad or relieved. The top of the unfinished bridge looked like the scene of massacre after what they had done to the workers. The men of the Wave country were lying scattered across the bridge like discarded game pieces, none of them moving. The young Mist-nin sighed, slightly uneasy because of the thought that they were aiming at the bridge builder through people who had nothing to do with the assignment Gatou had given them. At least not one of them was dead, though. Not yet, anyway.

 _Forcing these innocent people to play a part in this… I do not like it,_ the young ninja mused sadly. _But fear is one of Zabuza-san's tactics -- and if this scene will not strike fear into the hearts of the Leaf-nin, then it will at least disturb their balance. At least this way these civilians won't get in the way of the upcoming battle and needlessly get themselves killed._ But he still didn't like it.

"Haku, time to go," his teacher called from the distance and immediately Haku made way to his master's side. As they hid themselves nearby, Haku looked back on all the times Zabuza had used this tactic. It was one of the many he used against enemy ninja when he was aiming to destroy something they were protecting. Zabuza would show the result of his handiwork to the enemy to make them think -- to make them fearful, worried, angry…. Then he would use the mist and attack unseen, again using intimidation techniques to weaken the enemy's resolve. It was all one big mind game of fear and Zabuza was certainly a master of it.

A _game of notoriety as well,_ Haku mused. Only he knew how Zabuza's games -- and battles -- truly went. The number of survivors would've surprised some, especially with the reputation his teacher had had. But it was all planned. Each time someone survived an encounter, they counted themselves lucky -- and then spread their tale of the dangerous Devil of the Mist. The more tales that circulated, the more people feared Zabuza. And only Haku knew the truth.

Zabuza only killed who he had to. He was a merciless and talented killer but he wasn’t uncontrolled and he wasn't as bloodthirsty as people believed. He only killed those he had been hired to kill and those who wouldn't get out of the way.

 _And today he only plans to kill the bridge builder and Hatake Kakashi if he keeps getting in the way,_ Haku mused, taking a deep breath and releasing it, his face falling calm behind his hunter-nin mask. _I will take care of the Genin in the meantime. I will keep them out of the way so that they won't needlessly get themselves killed._

Of course Zabuza hadn't said it quite like that when they had planned for the encounter. It had been more along the lines of, "Make sure nothing gets in the way while I crush that annoying Copy Ninja." But after so many years together, Haku had learned to hear what his teacher wasn't saying.

 _Still…_ He glanced at his teacher. _If only they hadn't started building this bridge. It ruined so many of Zabuza-san's plans. Taking care of Gatou quietly is impossible with this bridge -- especially if it's finished… it will bring too much attention to this place. If only they could've waited a month or two._

"They're here," Zabuza spoke quietly. Haku looked up and then frowned. The Leaf-nin had indeed arrived with their client. By the looks of it the tactics were having their effect at least on the bridge builder and on the Genin in varying degrees, but Hatake was unaffected. But this was only the beginning.

 The elder Mist-nin only gave their enemy a moment to inspect the scene on top of the bridge before his hands began flashing through seals. A mist rose from the sea underneath them and enveloped the bridge and its surroundings. Without stopping, Zabuza's hands launched into another series of seals and soon he sent forth a handful of his water clones to test the enemy's responses.

"It's been a while, Kakashi," Haku heard one of the clones speak. "I see you still have those brats tagging along, just like last time. Are you hoping that they'll save you again if things get tough?" The clone laughed. Haku couldn't see what was going on in the mist but he could sense it. Zabuza's water clones had moved to surround their enemy. How they would react to it would determine just how the battle would begin.

"Why not," Hatake answered almost cheerfully. "Sasuke, Naruto, if you would…." The words were followed by an enthusiastic cry and a splatter of water.

Zabuza said nothing as he launched up to the bridge. Without missing a beat, Haku followed his teacher. The water hadn't even settled on the bridge as they approached their enemy from the mist. Haku frowned behind the mask at the sight of the blond and the raven-haired boy glaring in their direction. _This might get a bit tricky…._

"Well, well," Zabuza murmured, stopping and leaving some distance between them and their enemy. "It seems like my water clones were no match for you two. You brats have matured into worthy rivals…" He chuckled in low tone. "Eh, Haku?"

"Indeed," Haku answered, thankful of the mask he had on. The mask was another of Zabuza's tactics -- shoving their enemy's mistake right in their face. Hatake had been fooled by Haku's act and though the elder Mist-nin disliked the mask fiercely, it was useful tool. It was another attempt to usurp their enemy's composure. _After all, an angry enemy is a sloppy enemy -- and sloppy enemies are easy to handle,_ Haku mused but he was relieved for another reason. _If this goes well, these Genin won't find out that it was me who they met in the forest._

"Oh. Looks like I was right," Hatake spoke in a lazy tone. "Our mysterious masked fried is working for Zabuza after all…" The Leaf-Jounin had his hands in his pockets and if Haku didn't know better, he would've thought that he was completely open and possibly weak. But those who work hard to appear weak are usually the strongest ones around. And Haku certainly hadn't forgotten that the man had gotten too close to defeating his teacher.

"He has some nerve showing up like this!" the pink-haired girl said with anger, pointing at Haku with her finger. "Who does he think he is?!"

"I'll take him on," the black-haired kid -- Sasuke was what the blond kid had called him -- said while unsheathing his short sword. "I can handle him alone."

 _Oh, we can't have that,_ Haku thought, glancing between the other two Genin. The girl was no problem -- she had stayed out of the way in the last fight and Haku doubted she would get into this one. He couldn't leave the blond -- Naruto -- out of his fight and in the way of Zabuza's. The blond was too boisterous and could get himself seriously injured. "Impressive kid, isn't he?" Haku said to his teacher, turning his eyes back to Sasuke. _Even without meaning to he's affecting our plans._

"Quite. Even though my water clones only have one tenth of my strength… it's amazing he could do so well." Zabuza glanced at him.

 _With that sort of talent… he could be quite troublesome should he get in the way,_ Haku read between the lines. _And since Kakashi had the Genin take care of the water clones, he doesn't intend to merely protect them this time. He intends to involve them in the fight. Therefore…_

"The initiative is still ours," Zabuza said with a frown. "Go."

"Yes." Haku launched into motion, rushing toward the black-haired Leaf Genin. _I need to get them out of the way before Zabuza-san's battle with Hatake begins._

Haku was reasonablly confident about his speed -- just because of his Kekkei Genkai he was faster than most. When his senbon clashed against the younger ninja's tantou, he was more than slightly surprised. As Sasuke glared at him over their weapons, Haku frowned behind the mask. _Making him unconscious, even faking his death would serve our purposes well… but I suspect he isn't going to make it easy for me._

"Sakura, Naruto! Step in front of Tazuna-san and don't leave his side," Hatake spoke from beside his client. "We'll let Sasuke handle the masked kid."

"Hey, I wanna help Sasuke!" Naruto cried.

"Sasuke can handle him."

Haku glanced at them. _Zabuza can easily go around the girl; she seems pretty weak as far as her Taijutsu goes. Naruto might give him some problems with that solid-clone technique of his…. I need to get Naruto to fight me along with Sasuke._ He turned his eyes to the black-haired boy. _Or get Sasuke down so that Hatake has no choice but to let Naruto fight against me._

"I don't want to kill you…" he said to the back-haired Leaf Genin, raising one hand into half of the ram seal, forcing his chakra to concentrate even though the hand seal was incomplete. "But you won't stand down, will you?"

"No," the stoic-faced Genin answered calmly, staring at him as if trying to see through the mask.

"I see. But you won't be able to keep up with my speed the next time," he said, slowly starting to feed his chakra into the water that had been splattered on the bridge when Zabuza's water clone's had dispersed. "I have gained two advantages over you."

"Is that so?" Sasuke asked without seeming surprised, but he seemed to be one of those people who could go through anything without much change in their expression.

"The first is the water on the ground," Haku answered, still feeding more chakra into the water. "And the second is that I have occupied one of your hands." He nodded towards their still connected weapons as the metal quietly creaked between them. His chakra was spread wide around them and enough water was in his control. "You will now only be able to run from my attacks."

His left hand flashed through half-formed seals and then stopped at the ram seal. With a step of his foot, the jutsu was launched and the water underneath them reacted. Rising up from the bridge, the water solidified into dozens of needles as sharp as his real steel one. They were all aimed at Sasuke.

 _If he runs I can start driving him into a corner and if he doesn't I'll put him into stasis,_ Haku thought, narrowing his eyes when Sasuke didn't move. Then, seeing that the other wasn't seemingly doing anything, he sent the needles flying. _What will he do?_

Sasuke jumped.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Sasuke is so… so cool!_ Sakura thought while watching how Sasuke easily and with sharp precision flung a handful of shuriken towards the fake hunter-nin. Then her raven-haired teammate rushed after the masked kid, his tantou tightly held in his hand. _Of course, Sasuke has always been cool, but damn… he can fight! Am I a lucky girl or what, to be able to see him go at it?_

"Damn it, I want to fight too," Naruto grumbled from near her, drawing her attention away from the battle. The blond was holding onto a kunai tightly, gritting his teeth together with a slight grimace. Then, before Sakura could tell him that he would just get in the way of Sasuke's awesomeness, he started sharply. "One of my clones dispersed."

 _At what point did he make clones?_ Sakura blinked with surprise, her eyes flashing between Sasuke's fight against the masked kid and Naruto, who had a concentrated look on his face.

"Are there problems at Tazuna-san's house?" Kakashi asked from beside them, his eye firmly settled on the fight as well.

"No, it dispersed on purpose. My clones caught a couple of samurai making their way to the house." Naruto shook his head. "They beat them and left them tied up in the forest. Tsunami and Inari didn't even notice the whole thing and my clones decided to not tell them before one of them dispersed."

"Hm…" Kakashi frowned thoughtfully. "Good thing probably. Best not to worry them if the danger is over. But I wonder… what were they doing there in the first place?"

"You left clones to the house?" Sakura asked before turning her attention to the fight just as Sasuke gave the masked kid a great kick. _Way to go Sasuke! Beat that fake!_ she cheered silently. _Show him what we think about fakes like him!_

"Sasuke told me to. There's still three of them left." Naruto shrugged, grinning at the way the masked Mist-nin was thrown back. "You rock Sasuke! Kick his ass!" he yelled, before pouting at the sight of the enemy landing on his feet. "Aww, what is he, a cat?"

"Looks like Sasuke has the advantage of speed," Sakura said, grinning. _He is certainly faster than that masked fake. That's what you get for going against someone for whom speed is a genetic trait!_

"Yes. It won't do them any good to underestimate Sasuke -- or any of you," Kakashi said almost lazily. He seemed to be speaking to Sakura and Naruto but Sakura could tell that his voice carried all the way to their enemy. "Sasuke's the number one Leaf rookie after all. And you, Sakura, are the brightest of all the Leaf Genin. And Naruto, our most surprising ninja… No, it won't do anyone any good to underestimate you guys."

Sakura tried hard not to gloat but a small proud grin managed to break through her meek façade. Naruto went a few leaps ahead, striking a pose and yelling out "Hell yeah!" without any shame.

But it seemed to have the opposite effect on their enemy. Zabuza laughed, staring at them from under his hairless eyebrows. "Haku, you do realise that at this rate we'll be driven back… right?" he spoke in low tone, his eyes skipping to the masked kid.

"Huh?" Naruto mumbled with surprise but no one paid any mind to him because of the chilly aura that seemed to rise from the masked kid.

"Yeah," the long-haired kid spoke, a flicker of ice blue shining around him. "We can't have that…" Then he placed his hands together in a seal Sakura had never seen before. But before she could wonder what the seal was for, the water on top of the bridge began to rise and solidify into ice.

"W-what is that?" Sakura asked with shock. The water had formed over a dozen of smooth panels of ice in a dome-like structure over Sasuke. _Is that some sort of water jutsu? Like that water prison thing Zabuza did…?_

She blinked and then her eyes widened as the masked kid stepped into one of the panels. Images of him then appeared on the rest of the panels, making it look like he was in all of them -- and maybe he was.

Sakura had barely started to wonder what the dome's purpose was when Kakashi suddenly launched into movement, running from their side and heading towards the dome. He had seemed to realise what it was for, and by the look of it he wanted to prevent it from being used -- but he was stopped. Zabuza appeared before him and even though Sakura couldn't see his lower face because of the bandages, she could tell that he was smirking.

"Your opponent is me, Hatake." The missing-nin seemed almost amused as he glanced over his shoulder at the ice dome. "Hehe. Against that jutsu, your brat is finished."

Almost as if on cue, Sasuke yelled out in the ice dome. "Sasuke!" Kakashi called out before reaching his hand and motioning towards Sakura and Naruto. "Naruto! Help Sasuke! Don't get inside the dome -- break the ice!"

"That won't work," Zabuza promised with a grin, but Naruto had already dashed from beside Sakura and towards the dome.

 _Go, Naruto!_ Sakura cheered worriedly, following him with her eyes as Naruto grabbed a shuriken and threw it at one of the many mirrors. As Sakura pressed her hands into fists, hoping that the throw would be powerful enough to break the panel of ice, an image of the masked kid appeared on it. Reaching out of the ice, the masked kid reflected the shuriken with a needle. _He blocked it!_

The failure didn't seem to faze Naruto, who took a sturdier hold of his kunai. But before he reached the dome, the masked kid formed the strange seal with his hands again, and water around the dome flickered with blue light. Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto ran right into the second dome of ice panels, which had formed right next to the first one.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Oh, he's going with two separate cages?_ Zabuza thought, glancing at the impressive handiwork of his student. _A bit overkill for just two Genin brats… but it should keep them busy._ He turned his attention to his opponent. _I just need to get through this bastard and kill off the old man… and then we can be done with this idiocy._

"The brats are in trouble now, hm?" He chuckled at the glare Hatake gave him. "Do you want to send the little girl to her death too? Heh heh."

He could almost see what the other Jounin was thinking. He wanted to help the brats, but he couldn't because if he did he would be forsaking his mission. The little girl would be no match for Zabuza if Hatake stepped out of the front line -- the bridge builder would be easy to kill. Hatake wouldn't leave the fight behind -- Leaf-nin were just as notorious for never forsaking their missions as Mist-nin were for never stopping. So instead he would finish the fight as quickly as he could.

A cry of pain came out of one of the ice domes. Seeing Hatake's eyes flickering towards Haku's ice mirrors, Zabuza smirked. _Those brats have no chance in hell against Haku's technique. And Hatake knows it -- he probably already figured out that it's a Kekkei Genkai. One of the few surviving advanced bloodlines of the Mist at that._

"Are you going to stand around thinking about it, or are we going to fight?" Zabuza finally snarled, getting tired of waiting. "No need to worry about the brats. Haku's soft. I'm sure he’ll finish them off quickly."

Hatake narrowed his eyes. "Very well then. I shall put an end to this quickly," he said, lifting his hand up to his face to shift the headband from where it was covering his Sharingan eye. "I have places to be and people to see, I'm sure you understand."

"Ah, the Sharingan again? Old dogs don't learn new tricks, I see." Zabuza grinned. _I have no intention letting you take things this easily, bastard,_ he thought while grabbing a kunai from his holster. "You lack finesse, Hatake!" he cried and aimed the kunai right at his enemy.

There was a splatter of blood but the kunai didn't reach the spot he had aimed. Instead it was caught by the Leaf-nin's hand, the blade running right through the middle. "Even if I lack finesse, it doesn't change the fact that you fear the Sharingan… and me," Hatake growled.

"A ninja's secret weapon shouldn't be used so foolishly," Zabuza grunted with annoyance, fighting the urge to twist the kunai in Hatake's hand. _That's the problem with Leaf-nin. They're all reckless and nearly uncontrolled. No true belief in the way of Shinobi whatsoever._ He snorted. "You seem to display yours randomly at every opponent you get!"

"You should feel privileged. No one lives to see this Sharingan of mine twice." Hatake smirked before frowning. "But you certainly won't live to see it a third time."

"Heh. By all means, defeat me if you can," the missing-nin chuckled. "Even if you can, you wouldn't be able to defeat Haku. He is the finest weapon this world has ever produced -- and I honed him into sharpness unlike any other. He's quite different from the trash that follows you around."

"And why should I listen to you brag…" Hatake growled, finally revealing his right eye. The Sharingan seemed to spark red fire as it caught light. "…when I can shut you up?

Zabuza chuckled and pulled his kunai out of his enemy's hand while stepping back. "Can you really?" he asked sarcastically. "Yes, it worked so well the last time. But do hold on a moment and allow me to borrow your pretty phrase from back then. Let me tell you…" he lifted a single hand in half of the ram seal, "…that I don't fall for the same jutsu twice."

Hatake seemed slightly surprised, but it was probably due to the one-handed seal than because of his words. Zabuza didn't particularly care as he continued. "Having seen your eye once in action, I think I've figured out its arcane workings. It won't be enough to beat me."

 _There was more to the last fight than Hatake realises. Haku kept a close eye on our fight the last time, and he studied every aspect of it,_ Zabuza mused in the privacy of his mind. _It was no problem for someone of his intelligence to analyse the fight and figure out the right countermeasures to Hatake's Sharingan…._

Without needing to make another seal, Zabuza activated the technique of the hidden mist -- Kirigakure no jutsu. The mist he had already lifted thickened and the missing-nin faded out of the sight. _Let's see how well you fight against me when I strip the advantage the Sharingan gives away from you._

 

* * *

 

 

 _This is harder than I thought,_ Haku mused, his attention split between the two Leaf Genin. He had truly thought that taking them down once they were in his technique would be easy. Like this his speed surpassed that of Sasuke, and Naruto couldn't even hope to match him in speed even without the ice mirrors… It should've been easy to defeat them. But it wasn't.

Sasuke somehow managed to avoid all the attacks that would've rendered him unable to fight -- not to mention being able to retain consciousness. All the attacks that should've been paralyzing and even mortally wounding were avoided just in the nick of time and instead of bringing him down, the needles managed to only lightly wound Sasuke.

And Naruto kept making solid clones and trying to break the mirrors by force. Haku was too busy destroying the clones to keep his attention on Naruto himself -- and whenever he did manage to catch Naruto, somehow the needles didn't reach deep enough to immobilise him. It was almost as if he had too thick skin -- and his thick clothing didn't help Haku with aiming at all.

 _Well, at least I have them preoccupied and not in Zabuza-san's way,_ Haku mused, though he was slightly worried. Sasuke and Naruto were harder to take down than they should've been.

"You can't defeat this jutsu with your clones," he spoke to Naruto, who was once again trying to reach the mirrors with his solid clones. "No matter how many you make, their quantity is no match for my speed. This technique uses the mirror's reflection to transport me. To me it looks like you are moving in slow motion… That is not a speed you can match. Neither can your friend…."

As Naruto growled at him, Haku turned his attention to Sasuke, who had just deflected a few needles with his short sword. Naruto had suffered more hits than his friend, but Sasuke had his share of scrapes and bruises. _How is he able to avoid serious hits? My speed is greater than his, how can he… no, it's not his speed,_ Haku realised as Sasuke glared around the cage of ice mirrors. _It's his eyes. He sees the attack coming and manages to evade just in time…._

"You move well," Haku said to him, getting slightly worried. _If this goes on he might be able to avoid all the attacks. I can't have that,_ he thought with a frown hidden behind his mask. "But this time I will take you down."

 _He has been under my attacks for a while and dodging must take a lot of energy. He should already be at his limit…_ the fake hunter-nin thought, pulling out a pair of senbon. _But he isn't. He's getting faster and that worries me. I need to take him down now._

"How the hell is this possible, anyway?" Naruto asked in the other cage of mirrors, brushing a tiny trail of blood away from his cheek. "Is this some sort of water Ninjutsu?"

"No," Haku answered while getting ready to attack -- and take Sasuke out -- with all his speed. "This is an advanced bloodline of mine. Hyoton is what it is called." With that said, he threw the needles at Sasuke, aiming for the vulnerable spots on his neck in hopes of throwing him into a death-like stasis.

Sasuke's eyes widened minutely before they suddenly flashed in red and he ducked, his tantou clashing loudly against the bridge's surface. Haku stopped with surprise. _He saw that?! He could see my highest speed!_ he thought with shock. Then Sasuke looked up with a glare and instead of black, his eyes were shaded by bloody red. _Those eyes… it can't be! Sharingan?!_

"You are… I see. You also are from an advanced bloodline," Haku spoke, feeling a slightly bitter taste in his mouth. _Sharingan. There is no speed in this world that can hide from those eyes. But I thought that bloodline was almost extinct… just like mine._ He frowned and whipped out handful of senbon, situating them between his fingers. "I see that I can't lengthen this fight any more. If this goes on you will be able to read my movements completely… I can't have that."

 _But how? No matter how I attack him, I don't manage to do real damage. His eyes see too much…._ Haku turned his attention to Naruto. _And he keeps distracting me. I will take Naruto out first, concentrate on him and then --!_

His thought was cut off as Sasuke spoke. "I underestimated this technique," the back-haired boy muttered. "And overestimated my own speed. I thought I could defeat you without having to use the Sharingan…"

"You could've used it from the beginning?" Haku asked with surprise.

"Of course. I just didn't want to." The Uchiha grabbed a tighter hold of his tantou and stood up slowly. "I hate this bloodline."

Haku's eyebrows rose. _He hates his bloodline? It's the greatest, the most wanted, the most respected Kekkei Genkai of the known world… and he hates it?_ he thought with shock. The Sharingan wasn't like the Hyoton and the Leaf wasn't like the Mist. In the Mist people feared bloodlines and sought to destroy them, but in the Leaf they were hallowed… especially the Sharingan bloodline. Why would Sasuke hate a bloodline like his?

"Why?" Haku asked, still keeping an eye on Naruto, but thankfully the blond seemed busy trying to recover. "Why would you, the heir of a powerful, albeit tragic clan… hate your bloodline?"

The Uchiha snorted, his knuckles white as he clutched the tantou's wooden handle. "For many reasons," he answered, his eyes travelling from each of Haku's fake images before they settled onto the real one. "My bloodline and the bloodlines of Mist… their histories aren't all that different."

 _He knows about my bloodline? No… he knows about Mist bloodlines. He knows about the bloodline fear. But how would mine and his have a similar history?_ "Those in Mist who had advanced bloodlines were slaughtered because people feared us needlessly," Haku said, frowning. "But yours was brought to a near end because of a traitor within your family -- or so I've heard. How are our histories similar?"

"Why do you think people of Mist feared advanced bloodlines?" Sasuke asked. "Was it because of what they had done, or what they could do?"

Haku frowned behind the mask. _This boy has frighteningly sharp insight._

"My brother -- the traitor who killed the rest of my clan and left only me alive -- killed the clan for the same reasons." The Uchiha shook his head. "It's not that different after all. Except after finding out his reasons, I came to hate my clan just as much as he did. It's rotten to the core… and so it is a cursed bloodline. These blood red eyes."

Just then, in the other cage, Naruto made another dozen clones and again attempted to break the mirrors. Haku's attention was torn in two as he was forced to break the clones once more. As Naruto yelled out with anger and pain, Sasuke's eyes snapped up.

"Enough of this," the black-haired Genin said, taking a firmer hold of the tantou. Then he rushed forward. With his attention split between Naruto and Sasuke, Haku managed to only launch a weak attack towards Sasuke before the Uchiha reached the mirror and split it apart with his tantou. As Haku rushed out of the broken mirror, he was surprised that his enemy didn't attack him as he rushed past him. Instead Sasuke ran past the broken mirror and out of the cage.

 _He's going for the other cage!_ Haku realised and quickly made his way to Naruto's cage, allowing the first dome of ice mirrors to fall apart.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried with surprise as the black-haired boy stepped before him and as Haku took the place of one of the fake images. "You're alright! Wait… what's wrong with your eyes?"

"I'll explain later," the Uchiha grunted, glancing over the blond before turning his attention to Haku again. Something in his eyes told Haku that the fight was going to get quite a bit more difficult and a memory of what Sasuke had said in the forest suddenly echoed in Haku's head

_"I'm going to protect him. And he's going to become my Hokage one day and then he'll…. Until that day I will follow him and watch his back."_

Haku frowned behind the mask, taking out a handful of needles. _I really did underestimate Sasuke badly. This is way harder than I thought._

 

* * *

 

 

 _This fog… it's too thick for a mere Kirigakure no jutsu…_ Kakashi thought, glancing around in the thickening mist. "Sakura, stay at Tazuna-san's side!" he called into the mist, though he could no longer see where their client or his student was anymore. _What is it with mist like this? Even Zabuza shouldn't be able to see anything in this fog._

Hearing a slight whirring sound, Kakashi glanced to his left and then quickly grabbed a kunai. The shuriken seemed to appear out of nowhere and he could only barely deflect them all. _How can Zabuza aim without seeing anything?_

"It's impressive that you managed to block those," Zabuza' voice came from behind him. "No less than can be expected of Sharingan Kakashi."

Kakashi whirled around to see the missing-nin standing not very far away from him.  Zabuza still had a single hand up in a half-seal, but now his eyes were closed. "However, the next time you see me will be the end for you."

 _Why are his eyes closed?_ Kakashi questioned, glaring at the enemy and trying to figure out the reason behind his actions.

"You glorified that eye of yours…" Zabuza chuckled while fading out of sight again. "Made it seem like you knew everything, that you could even see the future with it. But that eye of yours can neither see into my thoughts nor into the future and neither can you. You simply trick people into thinking that you can."

Kakashi frowned as the other Jounin continued. "It's nothing more than a technique -- an illusion, a pretence, and hypnotism. A low level Genjutsu, perhaps. You copied my actions and my words and with intuition guessed the rest -- nothing more than sharp vision and good guesswork." The other man chuckled again. "But I have a way to render that eye of yours useless."

Feeling an attack coming, Kakashi threw his hands up in defence, but was still thrown back. He had to use his hands to keep his balance. Zabuza laughed. "In this mist your eye sees no better than anyone else's. And if I keep my eyes closed, I cannot be hypnotised."

"But then you can't see anything else, either," Kakashi argued with a frown, trying to find where Zabuza was, but the mist made it impossible. And Zabuza's voice seemed to come from everywhere around him.

"I see you have forgotten…" Zabuza's chuckle echoed in the mist. "… that I am a genius of silent killing and tracking my enemy down just by sound. I don't rely on my eyes as much as you do."

 _Damn it,_ Kakashi hissed inside his mind. _It's been a long time since I've been in a battle under such harsh conditions. And with Sasuke and Naruto in danger as well…._ Ever since he had left ANBU, he hadn't had to fight against opponents this serious. Especially not after he had become a teacher. _Alright, stay calm now… and think. What is he going to do, and how will I react…?_ Even before the thought was finished, he realised. Sasuke and Naruto were preoccupied and he was blind. That left Tazuna and Sakura open.

He rushed through the mist as fast as he could. He pushed Tazuna back and stepped between him and the upcoming attack. "Too late!" the Mist-nin jeered and brought the blade down powerfully. It seemed to just flash in front of Kakashi before a spike of pain split through his chest.

"Ungh," Kakashi grunted involuntarily and brought his hand up. The blade had cut right through his vest and the wound was deep enough to bleed profusely.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried from behind him.

"You're slow, Kakashi. Too concerned for those brats of yours," Zabuza said to him. "Even with that impressive eye… your ability to read my movements is dimming. Heh. Don't worry about the brats; they're on their way to the afterlife. And I'll send you right after them -- you can apologise to them in the next world for lacking the strength to protect them."

"Sasuke-kun won't be defeated by a guy like that so easily!" Sakura cried with mixed worry and anger. "Naruto too!"

"Exactly," Kakashi agreed with a strained voice, trying to alleviate his own worries. "I believe in their strength. Naruto's determination and Sasuke's skill. Sasuke's not the number one rookie of the Leaf for nothing -- and he is the offspring of Leaf's most outstanding clan."

"You mean…?" Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. His name is Uchiha Sasuke," Kakashi agreed. "A genius ninja… with the advanced bloodline of the Uchiha Clan running through his veins."

"And offspring of that tragic clan," Zabuza muttered with a thoughtful look on his face before the look in his eyes turned into steel. "But it won't help him. Haku is the same and nobody has ever defeated that special jutsu of his." With that said, he faded into the mist again.

 _I need to finish this quickly. He has me blind and I can't trust my ears either, with him moving around in the mist… so I need to use something else to catch him,_ Kakashi thought. "Sakura, stay with Tazuna-san," he said to the girl behind him. "It's time I end this fight." Without waiting for Sakura to answer, Kakashi dashed into the mist.

"Can you hear me, Zabuza? You seem to think that I've survived as a ninja with the Sharingan alone," the Leaf Jounin spoke into the mist while taking one of the scrolls from the scroll pouches on his vest. "But I am also a former member of the ANBU… and you don't survive in that world with mere copying. Let me show you something new."

 _He'll be expecting me to try Genjutsu on him again, so he'll keep his eyes shut. Also his weapons are covered in my blood… I can use that,_ Kakashi mused, brushing his thumb across the bleeding wound in his chest. "This might not suit your style," he spoke while opening the scroll and smearing his blood across the writing inside it. "But let's end the fun quickly and finish this now."

"Heh, sounds interesting," Zabuza's voice came from the mist. "But what can you do in this situation? Show me!"

"I will," Kakashi promised. Keeping the scroll in his hand, he went through the hand seals of the summoning and then slammed the scroll against the ground. _Kuchiyose no jutsu! Doton, Tsuiga no jutsu!_ he thought and as the chakra was channelled into the scroll, the earth rumbled underneath him.

"Hmph. Whatever you have is useless. You can't figure out where I am," Zabuza spoke from the mist. "But I know exactly where you are. Kakashi, you are trapped in my jutsu."

The earth continued to rumble and Kakashi smiled grimly underneath his mask. _Yeah, that is what you think,_ he thought jut as his summoned ninja dogs burst out of the ground and attacked Zabuza, binding him in place. He couldn't see it, but it was very easy to hear.

"If your eyes and ears don't work… then just use your nose," the Leaf-nin said, standing up. He looked around as the mist began to clear now that Zabuza couldn't concentrate on it. Not too far away from him, the mist-nin stood almost still, with nine dogs of varying sizes holding him in place. "That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist."

"Ugh…" Zabuza grunted, trying to no avail to move his hands.

"This summon is specially made for tracking in conditions where other options are useless," Kakashi said while walking closer. "You even have your weapons covered in my blood, making it easier for my cute dogs to find you. Their sense of smell exceeds that of all other dogs and they're attuned to my scent… and now you are the one trapped in my jutsu."

The Leaf-nin smiled at the glare the other man gave him. "The mist has cleared. And your future is death."

 

* * *

 

 

 _This is bad, this is very bad,_ Haku thought with worry as Sasuke easily deflected another of his attacks. The Uchiha's blood red eyes seemed to be slowly spinning and it was making the Mist-nin nervous. _He is getting faster and I can't escape his eyes. And he doesn't even get hit anymore; he merely uses that tantou of his to block my attacks! I need to end this while he is still on the defensive! But I can't attack him head on…._

Haku's eyes skipped to Naruto, who unlike Sasuke wasn't a match for him. The Uchiha had been shielding Naruto while deflecting Haku's attacks but now he was a few meters away from Naruto. _I hate this, but it's the only way,_ Haku thought, grabbing a handful of senbon. "This is the end!" he cried and without giving Sasuke enough time to think, he attacked -- heading towards Naruto.

But he never reached. Something hit his stomach hard and suddenly Haku was thrown to the bridge. "Yes, it is," Sasuke answered, his hand still held up after throwing something. "This fight ends here."

Trying to get up, the Mist-nin only got up to his knees before he recognised the sensation of stinging, twisting pain in his stomach. Looking down, he gasped. The short sword Sasuke had used to deflect his attack was now embeded in Haku's stomach, the wooden handle alone sticking out.

"How did you….?" Haku grunted out as he pulled the sword out of his stomach. Naruto stared at him in shock as he threw the sword aside and pressed his palm to the wound instead. "How did you know I'd go after him?"

"Logic," the Uchiha answered, picking up the sword from the ground and stepping before him. "You would either take Naruto out of the fight or make me move to protect him, forcing me to take your attack instead."

Haku chuckled, the bitter taste of blood rising to his mouth. _He analysed the situation better than I did, and anticipated my movements. He threw the tantou probably just before I left the mirror… and his timing was impeccable._ Feeling his blood run through his fingers, he spoke. "And without flinching you decided to attack me instead…."

Haku looked up to see the Uchiha stand over him with the tantou firmly in his hand. There was no hint of emotion in the younger ninja's face. _I'm finished. Even if I could make it to any of the mirrors he would catch me again, and with this injury… I cannot dare to hope to defeat him. This boy will kill me,_ the Mist-nin realised. _And he won't feel any remorse for it._

"It all comes down to determination," the Uchiha said, bringing the tantou to Haku's face. But instead of striking, he used it to push the mask aside. "My will to protect my 'important person' is stronger than your will to kill for yours, Haku."

"Haku?" Naruto said from nearby and struggled to his feet. Stepping beside Sasuke, he stared down at Haku in horror. "It really is him… but…."

The Mist-nin's eyes widened slightly. Then he frowned. "You knew from the beginning," he realised while watching Sasuke's face. "You knew. Even in the forest -- you were on your guard the entire time. You knew…"

"I did," Sasuke answered with a nod. "You didn't seem like a threat back then, so I didn't do anything about it. But I would rather kill you than allow you harm Naruto."

Haku sighed and bowed his head in defeat. _So this is it. I'm sorry, Zabuza-san. I was unable to become the weapon you sought… I cannot help you achieve your dreams…._

"No, no, Sasuke, wait! You can't kill him!" the blond boy spoke from the Uchiha's side. "Isn't he defeated already?" He motioned at the wound in Haku's stomach. "He's already so badly wounded that he can't continue to fight! So there is no need to kill him!"

"Be quiet, Naruto. The injury isn't severe enough to kill him or immobilise him. If we turn our backs on him now, he can still kill us," Sasuke answered.

"Yes, you're right. There are many who make that mistake," the Mist-nin spoke in agreement. "Not killing their enemy because of pity and letting them leave… that is not the proper ninja way." He lowered his eyes. "And I’d rather die here than bother Zabuza-san with my shame."

"What does that have to do with anything?! This is your life we're taking about!" Naruto cried. The Uchiha said nothing, but kept the sword ready to slice Haku's throat open should he make a wrong move.

"Zabuza-san has no use for a weak Shinobi," the Mist-nin said, smiling sadly. "You have taken away my reason for existing."

"Why live for a guy like that? He's a bad guy who takes money from criminals!" the blond Leaf-nin yelled at him with anger. "Is that eyebrowless freak the only important person to you?!"

Haku smiled sorrowfully at the words. _Taking money from criminals… how true that is,_ he thought. "I had people dear to me once. A long time ago I had parents whom I loved," he answered the accusing words.

He turned his eyes to Sasuke, who now had a thoughtful look in his eyes. "You said that we have similar pasts… but I don't think so." Haku shook his head slowly. "I was happy once and my parents loved me. They were very kind people… but when I grew up and began learning the ways of the world, something happened… My father found out about my mother's blood. My blood."

"The advanced bloodline," Sasuke said, nodding.

"In the Mist country there have been endless civil wars and those with advanced bloodlines like mine were used as weapons in countless battles," Haku explained to Naruto, who didn't seem to understand. "The result was that these bloodline clans were blamed for bringing misfortune and war to the country… People began to fear and hate people like me. People like me had to hide the truth about their blood, for those whose secret was discovered were killed… It's quite different there than it is in the Leaf, where bloodlines are hallowed."

Haku sighed. "My mother was from one of these bloodlines, from the Hyoton bloodline. When my father discovered this he sought to kill her and me…" He closed his eyes. "But before I had realised it, I had killed him instead. My own father! And at that time I really thought myself as a…" He shook his head. "No, I had no choice but to realise the most painful thing. That in this world I am a person who is unwanted."

He opened his eyes just in time to see Sasuke narrow his Sharingan eyes and Naruto's eyes widen as if with realisation. "You said that you wanted to be acknowledged by your village," Haku said to Naruto and turned his eyes to Sasuke. "Now, if someone acknowledged you from the bottom of their heart... wouldn't that someone become the most important person to you?

Naruto glanced at Sasuke and frowned while Haku lowered his eyes. "Zabuza-san took me in, knowing that I was a person of an advanced bloodline. This blood that everyone hated, he accepted it, desired it…" He smiled with bittersweet happiness at the memory of the moment. "I was so happy…" he whispered. _I've been with him ever since he left Mist, I have been at his side as his tool… that is what he needed. But now…._

"Sasuke-kun… please…" Haku looked up with empty eyes. "Kill me."

"No! I don't understand this!" Naruto cried with confusion. "Is being a tool for someone as rotten as Zabuza really the only reason you want to be alive? Something other than fighting… you could've been acknowledged for something else."

"You don't understand." Haku smiled at him, allowing his eyes to move to Sasuke. _But he does. I can see it in his eyes._ "Kill me. It's the only way."

The raven-haired Leaf-nin said nothing, merely pulled the tantou back. The slowly spinning Sharingan was the last thing Haku saw before the short sword's cold blade penetrated his chest and pierced his heart.

_I couldn't help Zabuza-san become the Mizukage but… I know that Sasuke will make a good Hokage out of Naruto…. That's not a bad thought at all…._


	10. Cruel Lesson

Naruto felt strangely weak as he watched Haku's body fall to the bridge's surface. His mind didn't want to wrap around the thought that the boy they had met in the forest, the boy they had helped pick herbs, was now limp and lifeless. And most of all he couldn't understand how and why Sasuke could kill Haku so… easily.

"Why?" he whispered as the ice mirrors started to shatter all around them. Turning his eyes to his team mate he saw Sasuke moving to calmly collect his short sword. "Why, Sasuke? He didn't need to die. He was wounded already; he wouldn't have been able to fight us! Why did you have to kill him?!"

The black-haired boy didn't answer as he calmly pulled the blade out of Haku's body. Then to Naruto's shock, Sasuke used the Mist-nin's robe to clean the knife. Somehow the action was so degrading that Naruto couldn't even tell Sasuke to stop it. _Is this really Sasuke? I always knew that he was cold, but…_ Naruto bit his lip. _But not this cold!_

"How could you do that?" the blond asked again, his voice quivering underneath the confusion and the horror. "Don't you feel any remorse at all?!"

"Why should I?" the Uchiha asked coldly while sheathing his sword. "I am a ninja. Death is part of my life and I have accepted it. Why should I feel sorry for doing what I've been trained to do?" he turned his red eyes to Naruto. "Why should you?"

"You're heartless." Naruto shook his head, stepping back with a frown. "Haku was nice. If… if things had been different we could've been friends. And you just killed him when you could've spared him --"

"And then what?" Sasuke asked with a shake of his head. "Bandage his wounds and tell him to have a good life? Naruto…don't be so soft. He was an enemy, despite what you might've thought of him. This is the ninja life." He turned his eyes to the body before reaching his hand and gently closing Haku's eyes. "And for someone like him death was probably the merciful option."

"I can't believe that." Naruto shook his head, looking away. "I won't believe that."

"He was right. You don't understand. You have a goal in your life; you want to be Hokage. I have a goal I my life, to rebuild my clan as something better than what it was. But his only reason for existing was to exist for someone else," the Uchiha said while slowly standing up. "To exist as someone's tool, as the means to an end… what use is there for a broken tool?" he glanced at Naruto. "Just like you discard a dulled kunai --"

"Haku was no weapon, he was a human being!" the blond cried with anger. "He could've found another reason to exist, some better person to exit for! But he can't now because of --"

"We are all weapons," Sasuke cut in with a stern voice. "We are the tools of our Kage, the soldiers under Kakashi's command. At their will we fight and at their will we die. That is what ninja are. Tools. We are no heroes, we are no warriors. We are the blades in the hands of our commanders. And at their will we bloody ourselves if we must."

"No." Naruto shook his head. "I can't accept that."

"Whether you accept it or not, it's the truth. There is very little honour in this life." Sasuke shook his head and looked up. All the ice had shattered and even the mist around them was clearing up. Then the red Sharingan eyes turned back to the other boy. "Naruto, don't tell anyone about my eyes, my Sharingan."

"What?" The blond blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Why not?" How did Sasuke have the eyes anyway?

"I don't want anyone to know. Especially not Kakashi. If he knew, he'd want to train me in their use and I don't want to use them." Sasuke closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were black once more. "I only used them now because I couldn't keep up with his speed otherwise." He looked at Haku. "To force me do something I had decided not to do…. He was a worthy opponent."

"That's it?" Naruto frowned. "Just a worthy opponent?" He shook his head and looked away defiantly. "What if I don't feel like keeping your Sharingan a secret?" he asked, folding his hands. After seeing what Sasuke had done, he wasn't really in any mood to indulge him.

The black-haired boy looked at him seriously. "Then my trust in you was misplaced," he answered, turning away.

That stung. Immediately feeling guilty for speaking so sulkily, Naruto glanced at him. Seeing that Sasuke was about to walk away, the blond threw Haku's body a sad glance before jogging after his teammate. "I won't tell," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Hn. It's alright," Sasuke said with a sigh. "I can understand that you don't approve of what I did. But it was the only way. And this is so common in the shinobi world that you need to get adjusted to the idea. We will all need to kill eventually. And we might be killed at any moment." He glanced at the blonde. "Shinobi balance on the edge of a knife all their life. There is no sugar-coating that."

Naruto sighed. "I don't like it," he said quietly.

"Very few do," Sasuke answered and stopped. "There's Kakashi and Zabuza."

Naruto looked up, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the other Mist-nin. He was being held still by what looked like a pack of dogs while Kakashi stood before him. Their teacher's chest was stained with blood and it looked like his vest had been cut.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried from a distance. She was still with Tazuna and was now waving at them. "You're alive!" she cheered. "What happened to the masked kid!? Did you defeat him?"

"Yeah. Sasuke did," Naruto answered without really feeling any happiness over it. _Is that what defeating an enemy really means? Killing them?_ he asked helplessly in his mind. _Every time we need to defeat someone… do we really have to kill them?_

"Are you two alright?" Kakashi asked while Sakura gushed over how cool Sasuke was.

"We're fine," Sasuke answered as Naruto wouldn't speak. They were still covered in scrapes and cuts and Sasuke had a few needles sticking out here and there, but it was nothing lethal.

Zabuza stared at them for a while, his eyes skipping to where Haku lay. He snorted. "I guess he was a useless tool after all," the Mist-nin said, turning his attention away. "Unable to defeat two brats like you… I really overestimated his skills."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto asked in an outraged tone, ignoring Sasuke's attempt to calm him down. "He's dead and that's all you've got to say, you bastard?!"

"And what else should I say, brat?" The Mist-nin gave him an annoyed look. "I didn't value Haku for himself… but for the taint in his blood, for the talent he possessed. He was nothing but an instrument to me."

"You… do you really mean that?" the blond Genin asked under his breath. Both Haku and Sasuke had said as much, but hearing the man himself admit it was something else.

"Stop it, Naruto," Sasuke muttered to him. "You're no match for him. Let Kakashi handle it --"

"Shut up!" Naruto said, stepping forward and pointing at Zabuza accusingly. "I don't give a crap! That bastard pisses me off!" His hand swung to point at Haku's body. "And he really cared about that bastard! Haku was devoted to him! And he doesn't think anything about his death, like Haku's not worth a thing!"

Naruto glowered at Zabuza, who wasn't even looking at him. "Don't you feel a thing, you eyebrowless freak?! Do you really… really feel nothing at all?!" he cried with anger, his throat aching painfully. Didn't _anyone_ but him care about the fact that Haku was dead? "If I become as strong as you… will I become a heartless monster like you?" He drew a quivering breath. _Is that why Sasuke is so cold too?_ he asked silently with slight desperation.

"Shut up, kid," the Mist-nin growled.

"You shut up!" the Genin cried back at him, his anger starting to give away into burning tears of frustration. "Haku gave his life for you! He died without having his dreams ever come true -- for you! To die as the tool of a bastard like you…." Closing his eyes against the flood of angry tears, Naruto blindly slapped Sasuke's hand away when it came to touch his shoulder. "That's too sad… too cruel…."

"Brat…" Zabuza growled, making Naruto force his teary eyes open. To his shock there was a look of pain in the Mist-nin's face. "…not… another word…."

"Naruto," Sasuke murmured from beside him. "That's enough. Calm down."

"I don't want to," Naruto growled, his breath hitching as he lifted his arm and wiped his tears away with his sleeve. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he didn't care. It was just too much, too confusing. If this was the real way shinobi were supposed to be, then it was too much, too painful. Too bitter.

"Well, aren't you people noisy," an unfamiliar male voice spoke from somewhere nearby. "And I see you're getting your ass kicked, Zabuza. How disappointing."

Confused, Naruto looked up to see everyone staring at the unfinished side of the bridge. Not far from Haku's body there was a mob of people with a small man with a cane and a black suit standing in the front. He had nasty grin on his face and sunglasses covering his eyes. The man had his right hand covered with thick bandages.

"Gatou," Zabuza spoke. "Why are you here? And why did you bring all of _them_ with you?" he asked, giving an irritated look at the mob with the small man.

"Hehe…. There has been a slight change of plans, Zabuza, a slight adjustment… with your plans anyway," the small man said, laughing. "Seeing that _this_ is the plan I had in mind from the very beginning."

"What?" the Mist-nin asked with a frown while Naruto looked between the mob of people and the others. Sasuke had a serious-looking frown on his face and Kakashi looked thoughtful. Tazuna on the other hand was grimacing behind Sakura, who looked confused. Zabuza just seemed pissed off as he shifted in the hold of the dogs.

"Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed right here," the small man, Gatou, said grandly. "You see, I never intended to pay you." He shook his head almost patronizingly. "Hiring a top shinobi from one of the Hidden Villages is expensive and they may betray me… so I get you missing-nin instead who are easy to take care of afterwards." He made a dismissing motion with his hand. "I just have the ninjas battle each other and once they're tired and weakened I kill them off with numbers.  It's a great business plan, no? Efficient and inexpensive."

Then Gatou frowned. "My only mistake was hiring you in the first place. The devil of the Hidden Mist?" The man snorted. "What a joke. You're no devil. More like a baby devil. Easy to kill!"

Naruto frowned as the men behind the small man roared with laughter. _Who are these people? There's so many of them,_ he thought, glancing at Sasuke, who was resting his hand on the handle of his short sword. "Sasuke, what's going on?"

"What do you think?" the Uchiha asked, glancing over his shoulder to where the Mist-nin was still held by a pack of Kakashi's dogs. "Zabuza's employer is betraying him."

Naruto followed his gaze to Zabuza just as the missing-nin spoke. "Kakashi. Our fight is over," the Mist-nin said, his eyes never leaving the small man. "I no longer have any reason to assassinate the bridge builder. Therefore we have no reason fight."

"Yeah, you're right," Kakashi answered, picking something from the ground. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as the dogs holding onto Zabuza suddenly turned into a gust of white smoke and vanished. Now free, the missing-nin straightened his back and stared at Gatou and the mob of samurai.

 "Oh yeah," Gatou spoke as he noticed Haku's body. Naruto raised his eyebrows with shock as the small man boldly walked forward. "I owe this one a little something…" the man said, looking at the body. He nudged the side of Haku's head with his shoe. "He broke my arm after all, it would be unkind of me not to repay in --"

Naruto blinked as Sasuke suddenly seemed to vanish from beside him in a gust of air. Before Gatou could continue, Sasuke was beside Haku and the next moment he was back at his teammate's side.

"What the hell? You impudent brat!" Gatou growled.

Sasuke ignored the man while gently laying Haku down on the wet bridge. As he sat up he noticed the confused look Naruto was giving him. "I'm not going to let a cockroach like him desecrate a good ninja like Haku. He was an admirable opponent," the Uchiha said as if it explained everything, and maybe in a way it did.

"Thanks kid," Zabuza spoke from behind them. Naruto glanced back at him to see that the man was still staring at Gatou alone. "Your plan has a flaw, Gatou," the Mist-nin then said while reaching behind his shoulder and taking a hold of his enormous sword's handle. "A quite big one I might add."

"And what might that be?" Gatou asked, still eying Sasuke with irritation.

"I'm not tired in the least." Zabuza took the sword from his back and swung it forward, pointing at Gatou with it. "You came too soon. Kakashi and I had barely started to fight and instead of a weakened shinobi, you have one in full strength. And…" The missing-nin grinned nastily behind his bandages. "I've been itching to kill you from the moment I met you."

"Don't get killed," Sasuke said as the missing-nin walked past him and Naruto. "Haku already fell because of your dreams. The least you can do for him is to stand." For some reason he threw a look at Naruto when he said this, making the blond raise his eyebrows with confusion.

"I won't die, brat." Zabuza chuckled tightly and stepped forward.

Behind them Kakashi gave Sasuke a suspicious look.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Sasuke and Naruto are all right, thank goodness,_ Sakura thought, looking at the two boys who were both looking after Zabuza. Sasuke was still crouching beside the masked Mist-nin they had been fighting who was, had to be, dead. While the thought of either of the boys killing someone -- and it had to have been Sasuke, as Naruto wouldn't have been able to do it -- made her fingers twitch with nervousness, she was relieved that it wasn't the other way around.

 _Though… what is this?_ She turned her eyes to Zabuza and then to Kakashi. _No reason to fight anymore? Really?_ She frowned and clutched onto her kunai a bit tighter. Of course she knew. It was all there in the rules, and she had all of them memorised. If a contract was revoked or betrayed somehow, the ninja who had been assigned it had no obligation to follow it. Zabuza's contract had been betrayed… but….

 _Is it really this easy, this… this flippant? We go from enemies, from attempting to kill each other, to this… so easily?_ It had made sense to her in black and white. Ninja were soldiers; they only followed orders. Vendettas and such had no part in any of it. It had made sense when she had been in a classroom, but here and now it seemed so unlikely. Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza had been so serious; the missing-nin had seemed to hate their teacher so passionately….

And then Kakashi just released Zabuza and the Mist-nin disregarded his former intent to kill. Now Zabuza was making his way towards Gatou, who seemed to only just now realise that his life was in danger and was hurriedly making his way behind the crowd of his hired samurai.

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke suddenly, disturbing the line of Sakura's thoughts. "Fall back to protect Tazuna. Sasuke, come here. I need to have a word with you."

Naruto wiped his eyes with his hand and the next moment he was standing beside Sakura with a kunai in hand. Sasuke took the Mist-nin's body and appeared at Kakashi's side. As their sensei and the black-haired Genin spoke in lowered tones, Sakura glanced at Naruto. The blond seemed disturbed. "Are you… alright, Naruto?" she asked, thinking back to what he had said to Zabuza. "What… what happened in those domes? Did Sasuke really…?"

Naruto grit his teeth and tensed. "Yeah," he said in a dull, almost pained voice. "He… yeah. He did."

Sakura swallowed and turned her eyes to Kakashi and Sasuke. Both had their backs towards them, so she couldn't even see their expressions to tell what they were talking about. For some reason it still made a shiver run through her. _I always knew… that Sasuke was extraordinary, but…._

Sasuke, the top of the class, the number one rookie. The cool, aloof genius everyone had wanted to be, or be with. Sakura had always known that Sasuke would be a successful shinobi, a great ninja. But when she had thought about that, she hadn't thought of killing enemies, she hadn't thought of _Sasuke killing enemies_. She hadn't thought that he'd be able to do it and look normal and perfectly calm directly afterwards.

"He just did it. He just…" Naruto swallowed, adjusting his grip on the kunai. "Like it was nothing, like it was… normal. _Expected_." He and Sakura shuddered.

"God," Tazuna muttered behind them. "You're just kids. You shouldn't be doing stuff like this."

Naruto tensed even further while Sakura straightened her back. "We're _shinobi_ ," she said stiffly, thinking back to the codes, the sayings. She felt no pride in them right now, but she still in a way held great value in them. "It's what we signed up for, what we studied and trained for. It's what we _do_."

Naruto glanced at her. "That's what Sasuke said," he muttered, turning his eyes ahead. "With more words, though."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, to ask him exactly what Sasuke had said, but something stopped her. Turning her eyes to Kakashi and Sasuke she saw that it wasn't anything they had done. But then cry of pain and terror screeched through the tense silence and she turned her eyes to Zabuza. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips.

Zabuza had sped up his approach and was now _cleaving_ through the crowd of samurai. Even from afar she could tell that they were no match for his speed and the strength of the huge sword he wielded. Even the ones with larger weapons could hold their ground against the Mist-nin's strength only for a moment before being forced back.

"Kill him! Kill him!" someone in the crowd screamed. "One ninja against these numbers? He can't win!"

But Zabuza was faster and if anyone managed to get a hit on him, it barely slowed him down. Seeing him cut down heads and limbs made Sakura's stomach churn in nausea and she almost turned her eyes away, almost. But she knew better than look away from a possible threat. She could tell that Tazuna looked away, though -- and that Kakashi and Sasuke had turned their eyes on the fight as well.

"Gatou!" Zabuza's voice called over the noise of screams and yells and metal clashing against metal. "You are going to hell! Don't make the devils wait for you!"

 

* * *

 

 

Though Zabuza was the sort of ninja who enjoyed his work and all the battles that he was forced to engage in because of it, he rarely enjoyed massacre. For one, there was no finesse in massacre. He was an assassin, not a common killer. He enjoyed the fine art of silent assassination, not butchery. Battles every now and then were enjoyable -- Kakashi for one was the most enjoyable opponent he'd had in a long while… but massacre was different. Pointless. Messy. Not to mention the fact that massacre in Mist usually meant the death of civilians.

But even so, he had never bothered to deny the fact that sometimes, just sometimes, massacre could be the greatest thing. He was no saint, so he could admit that cleaving his way through a crowd of weak ninja could be a thrill like no other. Or, this time, cleaving his way through weak samurai.

"Gatou," he called over the noise of crying, screaming, and bones breaking. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

His chest stung. Haku was _dead_ , and his chest stung. While the boy had been alive and so willing to do all he demanded, it had been easy to pretend that that was all there was to it. A useful servant, a tool, a shinobi at his command, nothing more. Sure, Haku had been mildly amusing at times, and sure, he had gone out his way to make sure that the boy had good enough gear and that he ate well enough to manage. And sure, he had spent a lot of time specifically training Haku in the art of the hunter-nin, despite the fact that he had never been one himself and that Haku was unlikely to ever to serve in an actual village… but so what? One took good care of one's weapons if one wanted them to last.

Kubikiri Houcho screamed through the air before sinking into the side of one of the samurai foolish enough to still remain within reach. Most of them were already running away, towards the boat they had used to get there, towards safety. Cowardice would save them. But not Gatou, no matter how fast and far he would run.

It was a little funny. Zabuza could remember the times he had spoken to his own teachers, ages ago. Old men, masters of their arts, survivors of bloody wars, bitter for the simple fact that they had survived. They had often spoken of things they had lost - people they had known and buried. How they had used to hate this and that man as their rival during their life and then mourn them as their best friend once they were dead. He could even remember one particularly bitter man, a former swordsman of respectable records, who once told him about a student of his -- a useless, pitiful boy who hadn't gotten anything right and who had gotten killed due to his own stupidity. And still, despite the fact that the man had had two wives and six children, all buried in the dirt of the Water Country, it was that useless boy the man remembered most.

"There you are!" Zabuza exclaimed gleefully as he saw his employer -- former employer, former living man, too -- trying to scurry away to the boat. "Where are you going, Gatou? The fun is just starting!"

Haku could've been great. The boy had been a genius, an extremely good ninja despite the lack of proper training. Zabuza had done his best, but he knew that had it been any other child, the teaching wouldn't have been much use. Haku had been too old and too undertrained when he had found the boy, too abused and his growth too stunted due to starvation. And Zabuza himself was a fighter of brute strength, not of elegant fitness more fitting for Haku. All he had been able to teach had been the bare essentials. Haku himself had had to figure out most of it. His bastard hand seals and his unique use of Hyoton, they were all Haku's inventions.

A few more years and Haku would've been _so_ great. Even at this age and with barely a few years of proper training behind him, the boy had been better than him. In a fair fight, despite knowing the boy's style through and through, Zabuza would've lost to his own tool. Hell, even if it hadn't been a fair fight, he still would've lost.

A single swing cut the wooden plank working as a bridge between the boat and the bridge. Swinging his cleaver back, Zabuza jumped after a screaming Gatou as the business man plummeted into the water.

To have killed Haku, Kakashi's students were good. Zabuza snorted. Not much else could be expected. Kakashi, student of the Fourth Hokage himself… of course his students would be decent. This had been their first real mission; it was easy enough to tell. The blond had certainly been loud enough for it. But the black-haired little Sharingan, he was good.

It was a bitter thought, but Zabuza knew that Haku could've died in worse circumstances. Kakashi's little Sharingan user had been graceful and calm about his kill. He hadn't jeered, hadn't been gleeful like some young ninja were -- nor had he panicked, thrown a fit or been traumatised, also a common ailment of young shinobi. No, the kid had been respectful. And even after it was done, he had still shown the right amount of reverence to his fallen enemy.

It gave Zabuza some measure of hope to see that there were still young ninja like that around.

The assassin landed on the water's edge and grinned as Gatou breached the surface, splattering and barely managing to keep himself afloat with one of his arms in a cast. The businessman froze at the sight of Zabuza's feet, and looked up in horror. Zabuza grinned and with a single sweep dyed the waves with red.

 

* * *

 

 

"I see… I _see_ ," Sasuke heard Kakashi murmur behind him in a mixture of understanding and discomfort.He ignored the man. He had more important things to do than to try and reassure his teacher, or in fact care about the man's opinion of him. Kakashi had yet to completely redeem himself in the boy's eyes, so he wouldn't attempt the reverse, either.

"He won't thank you for this," Kakashi warned him after moment of thoughtful silence.

"That's the point," Sasuke muttered, frowning. Zabuza was taking his sweet time, he thought with irritation. "If he did thank me, then the whole scheme was meaningless and he would learn nothing."

"True," his teacher murmured, crouching beside him where Sasuke was crouching, beside the motionless Haku. The man glanced at the body before looking up. It was rather remarkable how much seriousness a face so carefully covered could show -- and how formidable the man's frown could be. Then, after moment of dead seriousness, the man sighed, his frown easing. "Things weren't this complicated when I was a kid." He sighed mournfully.

"Yeah right." Sasuke snorted. When Kakashi had been a kid, there had been a war. Sure, things back then hadn't been complicated at _all_. Shaking his head, the Uchiha looked up as streams of mist flickered over the wet bridge and Zabuza's bloodstained but otherwise whole and mostly unwounded shape appeared. Despite the massacre splattered across the bridge, his sword was completely clean and spotless -- which somehow made the whole thing more eerie than it was. Sasuke had seen many killers, but Zabuza was in class of his own.

"That's it, I think," the man said, hoisting the sword casually to his shoulder while he walked towards them. Sasuke glanced at Sakura and Naruto, who silently watched the man approach. The pair of them were on edge and behind them Tazuna seemed tense as well, but none of them looked like they were about to do something stupid.

"What are you going to do now?" Kakashi asked while Zabuza stopped and stared down at Haku.

"I'm not stupid enough to tell you, Kakashi," the man said, crouching down. "I might not have reason to try and kill you now, but that doesn't exactly make us the best of pals, does it?"

At the sidelines, Naruto and Sakura edged a little closer so that they could listen as well. Despite a slightly begrudging look, Naruto even put his kunai away again. Sasuke smothered a sigh. He hadn't thought Naruto to be foolish enough to attack Zabuza, but with Naruto there was always an element of unpredictability.

"I imagine I will just take my leave," the Mist-nin said. "With hunter-nin after me and the Fourth Mizukage wanting my head on a platter, it won't do the Hidden Leaf much good to have you legal and proper ninja talking so casually with me. Better for all of us to make this quick."

"You're not going to just leave," Kakashi said flatly. "Not with Gatou dead and his empire -- and his money -- hanging loosely for anyone to take."

"Well, it would make me a rather bad sword for hire if I didn't accept my proper pay, wouldn’t it?" Zabuza grinned savagely. Then he glanced at Naruto, who was now standing behind Sasuke, and turned to look down at Haku. "But, I suppose I should bury Haku first," he murmured.

Sasuke glanced back at the silently frowning Naruto, who had seemed to have used all his energy up and merely stood there, being severely disapproving. Had the situation been any other, Sasuke would've snorted at the image. He could already imagine Naruto under the Hokage's hat, giving that look of silent disapproval at his shinobi.

Then he realised just _what_ he was getting amused about, and smothered the feeling quickly. Using the Sharingan so much was already turning his head a little fuzzy, it seemed. For a moment he mused how a few years back he hadn't even noticed it, the slightest lapse in judgement and the loosening of inhibitions. Using the Sharingan was rather like being drunk without the general pleasantness and loss of balance. And unlike before, when he had been younger and had gleefully allowed himself to be drugged by his own power, now he didn't much care for the sensation.

The situation was poor, nothing like he had imagined or planned. It wasn't the opportune moment; the timing was nowhere near perfect. But timing was never perfect on the battlefield - and he really should've known better than to plan, anyway. Too many different variables and unknown, unpredictable factors for any plan to be certain.

He lifted his hands into a seal and dispersed the illusion. If anyone had looked, they would've seen a mirage of black over red vanish from his eyes, where it had been hiding the active Sharingan, but no one did and he managed to close the mirror wheel eyes before anyone noticed. Even when he sighed with relief and felt his stability return, no one looked.

They were too busy looking at the gasping Haku.

 

* * *

 

 

Kakashi almost winced at the look of complete, blank incomprehension that settled over Naruto's features as Haku drew a shuddering breath. _Sasuke,_ he thought a little despairingly, looking down at his dark-haired student, who was rubbing his eyes, probably relieved to have been able to let go of the no doubt draining Genjutsu. _That was tactless._

Sakura's confused face was little better and for a moment even Zabuza looked baffled before he carefully concealed the look in a frown.

"Genjutsu?" the man asked tersely, looking between Sasuke and Kakashi, his word breaking the spell on Naruto and Sakura, who both started a little. Naruto's eyes widened as reality sank in -- that the boy he had so fervently defended wasn't dead after all.

"Haku!" the blond gasped, falling to his knees beside Sasuke while the young Mist-nin touched his chest with a look of uncertainty all over his young, effeminate features. "Haku, you're alive! But… but I saw… how…?"

"Don't look at me." Kakashi lifted his hands in surrender at both Zabuza and Naruto, who were now looking at him with anger -- from Zabuza -- and confusion -- from Naruto. "I didn't do anything."

With a gasp Haku sat up in their midst, wildly checking his chest and stomach before staring at his hands, which were completely bloodless despite the earlier bleeding. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a certain sympathy for the boy. He’d had the same done to him once or twice on the battlefield, which the boy was apparently experiencing for the first time. Of course, for Kakashi it had been an ally convincing the enemy that he had fallen in the battle so that he could have a chance to attack unnoticed, but the essentials were still the same. It was always rather disorienting to be killed in a fight only to find out a little later that it had been an illusion.

"You, what did you…?" The young shinobi looked at Sasuke. There was a moment of silence as he tried to come up with words, before he seemed to realise completely what had happened. "Why?" he finally asked. Then he seemed to finally notice his master, and gasped again. "Zabuza-sama!"

"Settle down, kid." The assassin waved at him with an uncomfortable look on his face before glaring at Sasuke. "Answer the question. Why? And how the hell do you know Genjutsu that thorough, anyway? I could _smell_ Haku's blood."

That was rather disturbing in many ways, Kakashi mused uncomfortably. That Zabuza had sense of smell that thorough. That Sasuke himself knew what that much spilled blood smelled like. That Sasuke had known to make the illusion so complicated. And that Sasuke knew how to do it in the first place. _Damn prodigies,_ Kakashi thought, fully aware of his own hypocrisy, and felt a newfound respect for his deceased teacher. He could now understand the man's reactions to some situations a little better.

"There are many ways to win a battle." Sasuke shrugged, but there was an odd, clumsy awkwardness in his words. And, with a single glance, Kakashi knew why. Naruto had stood up and was now glaring in wordless fury down at Sasuke. Kakashi almost felt sorry for Sasuke's sake. Almost.

"Sasuke, you made me -- you… I seriously thought…" Naruto spoke, or tried to, but the anger seemed to be too strong to be put in words. With measure of wonder Kakashi watched, feeling oddly detached considering that he was supposed to be stopping it, how Naruto pulled his fist back, his eyes flashing in silent rage. Sasuke probably saw it coming and the Uchiha could've probably avoided it easily if he had only tried.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped as Sasuke was thrown to the water splattered bridge, Naruto immediately following. The girl tried to reach out to stop them, but Kakashi reached to grab her hand. "Naruto, what are you doing!" she cried as the blond continued his furious assault on Sasuke, who didn't move a muscle to fight back. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you -- you have to stop them! Let me go -- Naruto, stop it!"

"No." Kakashi shook his head, pulling her back and forcing her to crouch down beside him. "It's what Sasuke wants." Sasuke's nose was bleeding and his lip had been cut under the might of Naruto's fists, but it was alright. Naruto's punches had lost most of their strength already and his fury was fading from the rage into something else. Something mellower and more serious.

 _Good,_ he thought to himself, watching it grimly. _And very bad._ Naruto was dealing with a brutal lesson in the only way he could, and Sasuke was willing to help him there, but just watching them made it painfully obvious how very unprepared they both were for what had happened. Sasuke seemed to take it with easy indifference, but that was the most dangerous thing of all in a Shinobi, to shrug off trauma like it was nothing. And Naruto… well. It wasn't healthy, for any of them. Not for Sasuke, who could just take a beating like that. Not for Naruto, who was giving it, and not for those watching. But, as horrible as it was, it was safer to let Naruto vent it out than have him bottle it up.

But Sakura hadn't realised any of it yet. She didn't know what Sasuke had intended, what he had planned -- and where he had succeeded. "What? Are you insane?! Sasuke --"

"Did it for him," Haku whispered behind them, making Sakura look at him with shock. Haku had look of shocked admiration on his face. "Naruto… has never seen anyone die before?"

"Today was his first serious battle," Kakashi agreed.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked confusedly, still trying to break from the hold of Kakashi's hand. "Let _go_ of me, sensei --"

"Well, well," Zabuza murmured with a sort of disturbed amusement, standing up and watching how Naruto caught his breath, his fists bloodied with Sasuke's blood. He looked like he wasn't sure whether he was supposed to find the situation insulting or entertaining, whether he was supposed to be angry at Sasuke or thankful. "I have to say, Kakashi, your brats are interesting. This is your first real mission, right? Hah. I can see many interesting missions ahead of you."

Kakashi sighed. _May you live in interesting times_ , he thought bitterly _. No greater curse for a teacher._ He frowned and looked away from his students. There was nothing he could do now without doing more damage. All he could do was to let it run its course and deal with the aftermath once things calmed down.

 

* * *

 

 

For one blinding, brilliant moment, Naruto hated Sasuke. Hated him like he had never hated anyone before, and probably never would again, hated him with every single cell of his body. The pain of watching someone die, the agony of accepting that death, of trying to rationalise it only to find out it was an illusion, not real, that he had gone through that torment, however brief, for nothing…. And to think he had thought the pain of loneliness was greater than anything else! Loneliness was nothing in comparison to helplessness and Sasuke had made him see it, feel it, made him hate himself and the world for it.

 _You needed to learn_. Sasuke didn't even need to insinuate it for Naruto be able to read it in his eyes. Learn what? Pain? Anger? Uselessness? The ninja way? Learn to watch people die, learn to see his friends _kill_ , learn to _accept it_?! Learn to be fooled?!

 _Shut up_ , Naruto wanted to yell at him, except his throat was stuck and Sasuke wasn't saying anything. _Shut up, shut up, shut up. That wasn't fair, you had no right, how could you, how could you, you bastard?! I trusted you, I trusted you not to lie to me, not to hurt me, not to trick me, I trusted you…!_ But he couldn't even think the words straight; there was no hope of putting them into words.

His knuckles hurt, his spine ached and he was shivering with energy he couldn't quite control enough to put into use. Hissing out a low curse, he slammed his fist on the bridge surface beside Sasuke's head, the water there splattering under the hit. Sasuke's face was bloodied and bruised, his lip was cut and his nose was bleeding heavily. But despite it all, he was still and silent, his breath gurgling awkwardly but still steady and strong. It was almost like he didn't even feel the pain. But he did. Naruto could see it in his eyes.

Naruto hissed again. He didn't, wouldn't ask why. _He couldn't_. He didn't want to hear the calm explanation, the cool description of the mockery of a lesson Sasuke had seen fit to give him. It would make sense, somewhere, sometime afterwards once he’d gathered his wits and really thought it trough, but he couldn't trust himself to hear it now and not continue pummelling his best friend.

"Sasuke," he growled instead, low and threatening. "Never do that to me again."

"I won't need to," Sasuke said, closing his eyes.

It was not what Naruto wanted to hear and with another angry growl, the blond slammed him against the bridge. Sasuke grunted out now, wincing. Naruto ignored it and the twinge of guilt. "Say it!" he ordered. "You will never fool me like that again! You will never make me think you killed someone when you didn't; you will never make me believe you did something when you didn't! Say it!"

Sasuke winced but nodded. "I won't," he said steadily. "I will never fool you again."

Naruto stared down at him for a moment before nodding in satisfaction and standing up. He didn't offer his hand to help the other up and Sasuke didn't expect it. Instead he turned his back to the Uchiha and turned to face Kakashi, Sakura, and Haku, expecting disapproval.

Only Sakura seemed disapproving, but even she was oddly subdued about it.

Tazuna was actually the only one present who showed any sort of shock or confusion over what had happened. Naruto glanced over the lot of them before looking at Haku just to make sure that he was really okay and alive. He was. He didn't even have the first stomach wound. Naruto frowned slightly, wondering just when Sasuke had turned the battle into nothing but a lie.

"You okay, Haku?" he asked, more to break the silence than anything.

"I'm fine, Naruto," the Mist-nin answered with a faint, awkward smile. He glanced at Zabuza before bowing his head, probably thinking about that stupid broken tool stuff again. "Zabuza-sama, I'm sorry --"

Zabuza cut him off by patting him on the top of his head -- it seemed more like a mixture of a slap and a rough noogie -- while straightening up. "Shut up, Haku," he said in rough voice that was probably his version of being gentle. Shaking his head, the Mist-nin pulled the still a bit dazed Haku to his feet and then looked at Kakashi. "I think it's time for us to take our leave. We'll be seeing you around."

"I hope not," Kakashi answered and with a wave as the two disappeared in a whirl of mist. The Jounin was quiet for a moment before sighing and standing up as well. "Well," he said after a moment of awkward silence while Sasuke spat a blob of clotted blood to the ground, wiping his nose. Their teacher grimaced and looked between his students, then at the remains of the massacred samurai, and then at the disturbed-looking Tazuna. "I think this is as good spot as any to call it a day."

 

* * *

 

 

Haku rubbed his chest, leaning against a tree as he and Zabuza watched the Leaf-nin gather themselves and leave. He couldn't stop the motion of his hand. He could still feel it there, the cold blade of Sasuke's tantou, piercing his heart. He shivered. He had been under Genjutsu before, dozens of times, not only in actual combat but during training with Zabuza. But he had never been under one as real as this one.

"That was as impressive as it was bothersome. Both Kakashi and those kids of his," Zabuza murmured somehow amusedly. "And here I thought Leaf-nin in general were soft. Hah."

Haku smiled faintly and as discreetly as possible pushed his hand inside his robe to touch his stomach. It was unblemished - the first stab that had thrown him to the bridge and broken his momentum had never happened. The illusion had started before that, it seemed. But when? While he had been inside the mirrors, where he was supposed to be safe or… while he had been moving between mirrors? Both were terrifying concepts. The Demonic Mirrors usually protected him from Genjutsu, so if he had been hit by the illusion inside them, it meant his art had a fatal flaw. But if the Genjutsu had started while he had been in motion… that meant that Sasuke weaved Genjutsu faster than any shinobi Haku had ever fought.

"Are you alright?" the Devil of Mist suddenly asked, and Haku realised he had still been rubbing his stomach in memory of the blow.

"I'm fine, Zabuza-sama. I apologise." Haku bowed his head in embarrassment. "I… I would also like to apologise for being fooled so easily. Had I known that Sasuke was so skilled with Genjutsu --"

"Don't worry about it, brat. He managed to trick me too, you know," the man answered and if Haku hadn't known better, he would've thought he was actually embarrassed about it. For a moment the younger ninja wondered what had happened while he had been under the illusion, but he decided not to ask. The carnage at the bridge was indication enough.

"Well, no use sticking around here," Zabuza said, turning to leave. "We have a dead guy to rob. Come along."

Haku hesitated for a moment, looking at the bridge. Sasuke and Naruto's female teammate was trying to make Sasuke's nose stop bleeding while Naruto and Kakashi were inspecting the mess Zabuza had made -- and it had to have been Zabuza who had killed the dead samurai lying on the bridge. None of the Leaf-nin had weapons big enough to cause that much damage. Haku frowned, wanting to know what had happened, what had driven his teacher to such massacre, but knew better.

 _I'm glad I met the two of you,_ he thought, looking between Naruto and a bloody Sasuke who was trying to push the girl away from him. He had thought them to be impressive from the start, in one way or another. There was potential in the two, and that had impressed him. But now it felt like something else. Something more serious. It wasn't only a possibility that Sasuke would make Naruto Hokage. After what had happened… it felt like fact.

 _And here I thought Mist raises some scary children,_ he thought amusedly and turned to leave. It was sad he couldn't say goodbye but at this point it was probably for the best. _Maybe I should follow Sasuke's example,_ he mused, looking up at Zabuza's retreating back. He might not have been as ruthless as Sasuke. But he was certainly as loyal. With a smile, Haku jogged after his teacher.

 

* * *

 

 

That evening, Sakura sat between an awkwardly silent Sasuke and Naruto on Tazuna's porch, where the three of them were staring at the ocean. She still didn't know all of what had happened. She had gathered some from what she had seen and what Kakashi had said, but the finer details were still a bit fuzzy. Sasuke had obviously put them all under some Genjutsu to make it seem like he had killed Haku and Naruto had obviously gotten the worst of it, actually having to witness Sasuke supposedly commit murder. And according to Kakashi and Haku himself, Sasuke had done it for Naruto, to teach him some lesson about killing people. And then Naruto had beaten Sasuke to the ground whilst Sasuke hadn't lifted a single finger to stop him.

She fidgeted slightly, glancing at Sasuke. Naruto had not only cut the Uchiha's lip, but also broken his nose. They had had to take him to the local clinic to get it set when the blood hadn't stopped flowing. It hadn't been easy, with the entire town celebrating Gatou's death with loud, overzealous eagerness. In the end Kakashi had had to drag the half drunk local doctor to the clinic by force to make the man perform his duty. He hadn't done it well, Sakura could see it easily. There was an odd bump on Sasuke's nose under the bandage and every now and then Sasuke had to wipe fresh blood from his upper lip.

What was oddest about the whole thing was that Sasuke wasn't angry, or even annoyed. He seemed calm, almost satisfied. And though Naruto was still silently seething, he hadn't just stalked off in a huff at the first chance -- no, he had personally escorted Sasuke to the clinic and stood by, watching with grim displeasure as Sasuke's nose got fixed. The atmosphere between the two was tense with anger and fresh blood, but it wasn't antagonistic. It was confusing the heck out of her because she couldn't tell if they were still friends or if they hated each other or what.

And she couldn't _ask_ with both of them there. She couldn't just turn to ask Naruto what the he had been thinking without Sasuke giving him silent disapproval. And she couldn't say anything to Sasuke without Naruto's indignant anger. And yet she couldn't go away, not without fretting herself half insane over whether or not they'd kill each other if she wasn't there to stop them. And more than that she had to be there to make them reconcile because neither of them was talking to the other anymore!

 _The person who said guys are easy to understand ought to be hanged!_ she growled mentally.

After a moment of furious thinking and glancing from one boy to another, she frowned. It was probably best not to talk about the whole thing at all. Yet she couldn't just bring some random subject up. That was just blunt -- and too much like burying her head in the sand. This wasn't a matter they could just sweep under the rug, after all. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke would approve of that. No, she had to change the subject while staying on the subject. How the hell did you do that?

Scratching the back of her neck, she picked the only thing that was connected and still disconnected from the fight between the two boys. The source. "What do you think Zabuza and Haku will do now?" she asked awkwardly, directing her question more to Naruto than to Sasuke despite the fact that Sasuke usually had the answers between them.

"Live, I hope," Naruto answered, sighing and leaning back against wall behind them. "Maybe Haku will get his head straight. The eyebrowless freak, too. That would be nice."

"His head straight?" she asked awkwardly.

Naruto made a haphazard motion with his hand. "They had this funny notion that Haku was a weapon and only useful to anyone if he beat everyone up. You know. Just because Haku was supposedly unwanted by anyone, he ought to be a weapon for the first person who did want him. Shit like that."

Sakura frowned worriedly, hoping that Naruto's bad mood wouldn't last long. Listening to him swear so nonchalantly was disconcerting -- and totally different from him calling people names. Calling names was bravado. This was something else and it didn't fit Naruto at all.

"What do you think?" she turned to Sasuke hesitatingly.

"Zabuza's a missing-nin because he tried to overthrow the Mizukage and failed," the black-haired boy said, refolding the napkin he was using to wipe his nose. "And the only reason a man like him would go into Gatou's employment is money. So he will probably rob what Gatou left behind and use it to fund another coup."

"Really?" Sakura asked with wonder. "Overthrow a _Kage_?"

"It's pretty common if you think about it. Even the Leaf has had coups in the past, or attempts at them. They just have never been successful because the Leaf always chooses the strongest shinobi in the village for its Kage," the Uchiha answered.

"Isn't it like that in every village?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"More or less, but it's a bit different in the Mist. They have the bloodline prejudice there, and their politics are… brutal in a way." Sasuke shrugged. "I think the third Mizukage came into power through a subtle political coup as well, not because of fighting power."

"Well, in a village where the graduation exam had you killing your classmates, I suppose the politics are bit more bloody than elsewhere, too," Sakura murmured with a shiver. "You think Zabuza really did it, killed all his classmates like he said?"

"He did. It's a known fact," Sasuke answered.

"I don't think I'd want a man like him as the Kage of any village."

"Well, when you think on it… the exam was abolished after what he did," Sasuke said. "With one brutal act he ended a bloody tradition which would probably kill dozens of times more people -- kids -- than he did that time."

"Different perspective makes everything okay," Naruto sneered at him, making Sakura fidget worriedly. Naruto almost sounded like he was picking a fight.

"No," Sasuke said and was quiet for a moment, frowning. Absently he wiped some blood from under his nose. "You do what you can with the tools you have," he said finally. "The world is not black and white. It's not even made from shades of grey. It's impossible to take one string of ideals and say that this is right or this is wrong. Yes, it's wrong to kill children. Yes, it is right to end a bloody tradition. But which is heavier, the killing of children, or the ending of that tradition?"

Sakura blinked. She had a feeling that they weren't talking about Zabuza anymore. She looked at Naruto to see how he would take it. The blonde was frowning at Sasuke over her head. "There should have been another way," he then said. "It was cruel."

"Yes." Sasuke nodded and looked at the blood soaking into the already dirty napkin. "Yes it was. And all the more effective for it. The ninja world doesn't learn by gentle pats to the back or encouragement, Naruto. It never will."

Sakura lowered her eyes to the water. She had a feeling that they weren't talking about Haku anymore, either. Rubbing her hands together, she thought about it, trying to come up with a solution to their argument. The harsh offensiveness of Sasuke and Naruto's brutal defence. Was there no middle path? The problem was, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that Naruto had no alternative to Sasuke's method. Sasuke had a fact; Naruto had an opinion. Sasuke had done something; Naruto in hindsight wanted it to have been done differently. Or not at all.

"I think…" she said slowly, immediately ending up the centre of their attention. She flushed and continued awkwardly. "I think it doesn't help to debate," she said, staring at her hands. "I mean… yes, Zabuza massacred the kids. Yes, the tradition was changed because of it. And yes, it's horrible and still something good came out of it. But no matter how it went and whether it was right or wrong… it already happened." She looked up at them worriedly. "We… we can't change it anymore."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place," Naruto argued.

"But it did," Sakura said with certainty, now feeling a little more sure of her stance.  She smiled at him and reached out to squeeze his hand. "But we can learn from it and maybe… maybe make sure it will never happen again." She turned to look at her other teammate. "Right, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha frowned for a moment before wiping some more blood from under his nose. "That is kind of the point," he said.

Naruto snorted, but even as he folded his arms and looked very unforgiving, Sakura could see he wasn't as angry as before. She sighed and with an odd giddiness shifted forward. She kicked off her sandals and jumped down from the porch and down to the waves. She landed neatly upon them, not even causing a splash. "How long do you think it will take us before we get to go home?" she asked, now feeling it safe to let the boys stew on the whole incident by themselves.

It wasn't Sasuke or Naruto who answered. "Well, with Gatou dead and Zabuza gone, we don't need to guard Tazuna anymore, but I kind of want to see the bridge completed," Kakashi, who was sitting on the roof directly above Sasuke and Naruto, said thoughtfully. "With all the trouble we put into the thing, I think we ought to see the fruits of our labour. What do you say?"

"Sensei!" Sakura yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. "How long have you been there?!"

"Aww, Sakura, you make it sound like you don't like me…" Their teacher smiled at her -- or did that thing that was more of his eye forming a happy line, which was actually rather disturbing at times. "But to get back to the matter at hand, Tazuna says that now that all the workers are willing to return to work, it shouldn't take more than two weeks to complete the bridge. I think we deserve a chance to skim -- erm. We could stay here and… recuperate." He made a vague motion with his hand at the word.

"Heal our injuries." Naruto grinned, glancing at Sasuke.

"Gather our wits," the Uchiha answered, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Relax," Sakura said sternly to the lot of them, her hands at her hips, trying to look threatening despite the fact that she wanted to collapse right through the water's surface in relief at seeing them joking. The boys huffed at her but Naruto had some of his spark back and Sasuke didn't seem so odd anymore.

"And so forth," Kakashi agreed and hopped down to the water to join them. "We will have a lot to do once we get to the Hidden Leaf, so it's best we take some time off now while we can… justify it."

"You're teaching us bad habits, sensei, making us skip work and all," Naruto mocked.

"One of the most important things a shinobi needs to learn in order to live is to live a little," Kakashi answered with calm severity. "Enjoy the moment, take off the time you can, enjoy the little things…"

"Be very late for important appointments and invent ridiculous excuses?"

"If that's what keeps you sane." Kakashi shrugged and Sakura frowned. The words were casual, spoken with an almost indifferent nonchalance, but she wasn't the only one they struck immediately speechless. Kakashi looked between the three of them before sighing and sitting down where he stood, upon the water, bobbing idly up and down with the lazy waves. "Sit down Sakura. I need to talk with the three of you."

Sakura glanced at the boys before jumping back to the porch and sitting back down between Naruto and Sasuke. The boys glanced at her and each other, just as confused and worried as she was but equally intent to listen. Kakashi had taught them barely anything yet, so to have him actually sit down with them like this… it had to be special.

"You three are not shinobi yet. Zabuza was very right in that," their teacher said after moment of silence. "No, don't argue with me," he said before Naruto or Sasuke could say anything. "You're not. You might be skilled enough to fight; you might be strong enough to kill. But anyone can do that. What makes you a shinobi is to be able to kill in the morning and still eat your breakfast before heading off to kill again and then return for lunch. You can't do that yet. Well, Sasuke might but…"

The man sighed, shifting his askew headband into a better position. "But anyway. You’re getting there. And this point in your training is the most important part because this point either makes you, or breaks you," he said, looking between them. "This is the point where you either become a shinobi, or you give up. And giving up in our line of work might mean anything from throwing away your headband and turning civilian to killing yourself or massacring an entire clan…"

He trailed away and Sakura shifted awkwardly. She had never seen Kakashi this serious outside battle. It was almost unnerving. But it also meant something -- something serious, something important. Ever since the talk with Sasuke about teamwork and how badly working teams were broken up, Sakura had had the terrible feeling that Kakashi meant for their team to be broken, had never meant to seriously train them. She wasn't stupid after all -- they had been Kakashi's students for a while and all they had learned was how to use Naruto's Kage Bunshin to complete boring missions quicker and how to chakra-walk. But something was different now.

"If you want to continue without breaking, you need to learn to deal with days like today," the Jounin said. "We all have our ways. We do what suits us. Some drink themselves into a stupor. Some eat, some sleep, some have wild parties, some start fights in bars. Whatever works. The most important thing right now for you three is to find that something. Because that something might save you - maybe not in a fight or a serious situation, but… it might save you from reality. And from yourself."

"Is that really why you're always late?" Naruto asked a little disbelievingly.

"No." Kakashi shook his head. "I'm late because I go to the memorial of the Leaf's fallen heroes every chance I have to talk to those I've known, who've gone on without me." He smiled that odd eye-smile of his. "Keeping them informed keeps me balanced."

Sakura opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She couldn't even look at Naruto or Sasuke to figure out how to react to that. All she could was to stare and gape in what could only be described as alarm.

"We have a lot to do once we get to the Leaf," Kakashi said seriously. "Naruto needs to see a chakra specialist about his condition -- Sasuke also. I want to be sure your Sharingan works properly and you need to visit the hospital to get your nose properly healed." He ignored the surprised look Sasuke gave him. "And Sakura needs to start training with whatever will help her defend herself and those she's sworn to protect in the future. But that, as important as it all is, isn't as important as this."

The man was silent for a moment, looking at them as if to make sure that they were listening. "So, these two weeks I want you to relax, gain your strength..." he continued. "And most importantly, find out what will make you want to wake up tomorrow morning even if the world is destroyed today."

 

* * *

 

 

Tazuna folded his hands, looking proudly at the bridge. It had come out beautiful, just like he had thought it would. He wasn't stupid; he knew that there'd be a few flaws here and there due to the fact that his workers sort of skipped off near the end, but it was nothing he couldn't fix later on if it became an issue. And the bridge was all the more precious for its flaws, he thought with satisfaction. They showed how damn hard it had been to build -- and that it had been built regardless!

"It's a fine construction," Kakashi said as he and his students examined the bridge as well.

Tazuna merely laughed uproariously at the understatement. "And it's standing thanks to you!" he said, looking between the -- somewhat creepy -- children and their -- thoroughly creepy -- teacher. They hadn't looked like much at the Hidden Leaf, but he was happy that these four had been assigned to his mission. It had turned out perfectly. Gatou had died, the bridge had been built and life had returned to the Wave. Perfect. "It'll be bit boring without you around," he admitted then, thinking of the fight between Sasuke and Naruto, and snorted. "But I think I prefer it that way."

"I'm sure you do," Kakashi agreed with a laugh and glanced at the boy hiding behind Tazuna's leg. The shinobi seemed to sort of smile under his mask at the way the boy was glaring at Naruto and Sasuke. "What about you, Inari-kun, are you happy to see us gone?"

"Hell yes!" the boy said, pointing at Naruto. "I can finally have some peace and quiet without that loudmouth around!"

"What did you say, you brat?" Naruto growled back, taking a threatening step forwards, only to be held back by Sakura. Still, the grin on his face wasn't a menacing one, and Inari's words weren't completely hostile. "You're just awed by my magnificence and are jealous because you're not even half as great as I am!" the blond huffed.

"You, great? In what universe?"

"The one where you’re inches way from being pummelled to death!"

"Anyway," Kakashi said happily over their bickering. "I think it's time for us to get going. It's been a… unique mission and I think our Kage might want a report on it sometime soon."

Tazuna laughed. "Says the man skipping work for two weeks! I wonder what you're going to say to the man. Oh, the mission was completed two weeks ago, but we sort of lost the track of time…?"

"No, we were guarding this bridge builder and one thing lead to another, and maybe somewhere along the way we got lost on the road of life," Kakashi answered solemnly, much to the amusement of his students as they shook hands.

Chuckling to himself, Tazuna watched how Naruto and Inari flipped birds at each other and didn't have the heart to tell his grandson to behave. "Well, that was different," he said, ruffling Inari's hair and glancing at Tsunami. "One more thing to do."

"Naming the bridge," she agreed, looking up at the sky with a slight smile.

"Yeah. How about the GreatSasukeBridge?" Tazuna asked.

"What?!" Inari asked, looking up in outrage. "You can't name the bridge after that bastard! Name it after Naruto!"

"But he didn't even do anything," Tazuna frowned.

"He beat Sasuke!"

"Only because Sasuke let him. And Sasuke beat Haku, one of the Mist-nin trying to kill your grandpa. We should show him some respect," the bridge builder folded his arms. "It's a good and strong name."

"No, he didn't beat anyone! You said that he made you think he did with some weird ninja art! It was a sneaky scheme, not an honest victory. And wasn't Haku a good guy to begin with? Kinda? Anyway, you can't name the bridge after Sasuke. If you name the bridge after him, I bet it will fall down within a month -- or if not, sneaky people use it," Inari threatened, narrowing his eyes. "Do you want sneaky people to use our bridge? _Do you_?"

"How about the GreatHakuBridge?" Tsunami interjected. "Since he was the kid Sasuke pretended to beat and Naruto tried to defend?"

"No way, he's the enemy!" Inari said, shaking his head violently.

"I can't name my bridge after a guy who tried to kill me!" Tazuna agreed in horror.

She sighed. "The GreatSakuraBridge then?"

"Ugh, no. We'd have cherry blossoms everywhere, and it's too girly. I bet the bridge would turn pink too." Inari shook his head and Tazuna nodded in agreement.

Tsunami glanced at the sky, begging for strength. Her family had picked up manners from the shinobi. Gods help them. "The GreatKakashiBridge?"

"He sucks!"

"And is kinda creepy."

"Oh for goodness sake…"


	11. Ignorance Was Bliss

Kakashi had turned over a new leaf. No, scratch that. Kakashi had thrown away his trashy book and replaced it with one about motivational quotes. Sasuke smiled grimly at the thought while looking up at the gates of the Hidden Leaf. There was some measure of bitter amusement in the thought and it was all backlit by both relief and annoyance. In all honesty, he wasn't quite sure what to think of it. But it had happened.

 _Well, things could've gone better,_ he thought to himself, gingerly touching the bandage over his nose. It _still_ bled occasionally, which was really starting to irritate him, especially since it was rather difficult to breathe. No matter what kind of expectations he had of Naruto, he had to say that his Hokage candidate really had an annoying punch. Naruto hadn't put all his strength behind it when he had given into his fit of anger. If he had, Sasuke would've suffered more than a cut lip -- which at least was healing -- and a cracked nasal bone. But Naruto certainly hadn't gone easy on him, either. Sasuke had expected it though. Naruto hadn't yet found that grace of facing shock with anything but anger and violence.

 _I wonder, though. Was it Naruto's reaction that made Kakashi get his head out of his ass, or was it what I did?_ he wondered. Probably a little bit of both. What he had done wasn't something any normal Genin did -- it probably wasn't something any normal Shinobi in general did, for that matter. Kakashi had one of those unique minds that understood the point behind the Genjutsu but also understood how twisted it had been. Sasuke didn't regret the Genjutsu, he never would, but it had brought out his own and Naruto's flaws into blinding visibility. Their mental flaws.

In a few more years Naruto would've taken the Genjutsu and its aftermath with a blink, a few yells of annoyance, and then gotten back on track. But that sort of determination and durability didn't exist in Naruto yet. He was still too emotional, too easy to trigger, too easy to derail from his set path. For that to change, he would need to encounter Neji and Gaara, and really make his own Nindo. Those two, along with Haku's death, had been the cornerstones of Naruto's way of the ninja. And maybe Sasuke's own betrayal had been one of them, too.

For a moment Sasuke wondered if he had done damage to that Nindo, but decided that whatever damage he had done was for the best. Naruto no longer looked at him with pure stubborn trust. That was as good as it was bad. Sakura no longer looked at him with single-minded admiration. Definitely a good thing -- as was the fact that she had taken the stance between them. If things went anywhere near the way they had in Sasuke's past, they'd need her there, between them, to balance their opinions and morals. And finally, Kakashi no longer rolled his eyes at them before hiding his bored indifference behind his book.

 _That's a good thing,_ Sasuke thought with determination, though every instinct told him Kakashi's reaction was also very odd. In the last two weeks, while they witnessed the finishing touches to Tazuna's bridge, Kakashi had acted more like a teacher than he had ever seen the man. Kakashi had not only pressed them to find their own versions of his tardiness, but he had sat them down individually to go through what had happened at the bridge. He had acted almost like an actual guardian, actually concerned about those he had charge over.

It had been annoying. _"The thing that makes you want to keep going no matter what,"_ that Kakashi spoke of to him was complete, utter nonsense. There was no such thing for most Shinobi, although Kakashi had made it seem like it was a universal thing that all had. It wasn't. It was more of a quirk of the chosen few who got so far along the path that they started to lose it. Kakashi was, of course, one of them. And, Sasuke thought with a measure of discomfort, Itachi had probably been another. Tsunade and Jiraya were main examples as well and Orochimaru had sought immortality with such blind single-mindedness that it couldn't be anything else. But at that point Orochimaru had been already insane; immortality had probably been all that was left for him. That and revenge.

The whole concept seemed rather like a mental security blanket for Shinobi. It was stupid, rather like making and maintaining your own crutch though you were supposed to be well without one. But, Sasuke had to admit that there was some point to it. Shinobi went through murders and massacres, wars and devastations. Not all of them came out sane. The ones who did… were maybe weirder for it, but also stronger.

But the matter of mental security blankets wasn't as bothersome as the fact that it was _Kakashi_ who had explained the whole concept to them. Sasuke remembered Kakashi to be many things as a teacher. He was a slacker who had a small dose of favouritism and who, despite all his speeches of teamwork, couldn't really _teach_ it. He was also a very brutal teacher if he wanted to be; Sasuke still could remember the month of learning Chidori and the sessions in which Kakashi had helped him master the Sharingan. There were some other things as well, most of which couldn't be associated with the notion of a good teacher…

But what he definitely wasn't, was sensitive. It just… wasn't Kakashi's way, not the way Sasuke could remember. And that was bothersome. He had made his plans for Naruto -- and to a lesser degree for Sakura -- keeping in mind that none of them would ever be taught proper ways of handling stress and trauma. He had been aiming to teach them both to deal with their issues the same way he had learned -- through experience. Thus the whole Genjutsu ordeal. Kakashi suddenly deciding that maybe he should try and teach something actually important wasn't included in those plans.

Nor was the fact that Kakashi could still, despite all odds, teach something _new_ to Sasuke himself.

"Well then," the subject of Sasuke's wonderings said as their travel-weary group passed under the gates and into the village grounds. "I'll go and report to the Hokage. Sasuke, you head to the hospital to get your face checked. Naruto, I might call you later on about the appointment with a charka specialist." He paused to consider and then continued, "Sakura… go and eat something," he finished somewhat lamely. "Dismissed."

After his disappearance, there was a moment of silence, during which Sakura looked between Naruto and Sasuke for any hint of where they would go now. Sasuke didn't give the hint and hesitated himself. He wanted to head to the hospital and finally be done with the stupid injury, but he couldn't just shove his hands to his pockets and stalk off. Not anymore.

"Alright, a day off!" Naruto finally said and for a moment Sasuke wondered if he realised what the moment of awkward silence really meant. "After they've fixed Sasuke's nose, we're going to get some ramen!" Punching his fist into the air in enthusiasm, he jumped ahead. "Come on! Sweet Ichiraku ramen awaits!"

Sakura hesitated for a moment but followed him despite the fact that she probably wanted to head to home to be with her family. "Hey, do they sell vegetable ramen at Ichiraku?" she asked, falling in step with the blond. Sasuke followed a few steps behind them and almost smiled. Almost.

 

* * *

 

 

After hanging around for long enough to make sure that his kids were getting along and weren't going to start fighting the moment he left them, Kakashi headed for the Hokage tower. It wasn't that his students had actually fought before. If they had, it had happened out of his sight. As Genin teams went, his students got along fairly well, if not better than most. But things between Naruto and Sasuke had been strained in the last few weeks and poor Sakura had been stretched thin trying to keep the peace between them. So far she had been successful, but Naruto and Sasuke could be very stubborn.

 _Well, there's only so much Sakura and I can do for them. Those two need to sort out their fight by themselves,_ he mused. _Though one can't help but wish that they were fighting over something normal._ It was hard to force a settlement between Sasuke and Naruto when their fight, which hadn't really been a fight at all, had involved Genjutsu, a faked death and a loss of trust. _Why couldn't they just fight over normal Genin things like… Ninjutsu or who's strongest or something like that?_

Zabuza had cursed him, he thought morosely while making his way inside the tower. He _was_ having interesting times. And he had a bad feeling that they'd only grow more interesting as time went by. _If I ever see him again, I'm going to kick his ass for this._

"Kakashi-sensei?" a familiar voice called. It was Umino Iruka, who was apparently on office duty again. "You're back. We were expecting you to return a while ago. Were there some problems with the mission?"

"One could say so," Kakashi said rather uncomfortably while taking out the report scroll he had prepared back in the Land of Waves; tardiness was one thing, but he knew from experience that it was not safe to make the Hokage's paperwork any more difficult than it already was. "Is the Hokage here, Iruka-sensei? I have a report I want to make to him personally."

Iruka blinked with surprise while accepting the scroll. "I can check," he said while placing the scroll atop the other reports. "Hold on a moment, sensei, I'll be right back."

Waiting was something Kakashi was exceptionally good at, so he didn't mind. It gave him the chance to sort out his thoughts. Not only did he have a report about Momochi Zabuza and his student, but he had one about Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke's Sharingan was something he needed to report, as well as his abilities with Genjutsu. And Naruto's chakra insensitivity was even more important.

Kakashi frowned. Something had been bothering him about his two boys. First of all, Naruto's chakra insensitivity was an odd case. There were times when it didn't seem like it existed at all. Sure, Naruto's control was lacking and he couldn't feel the pain of overusing his chakra, but if Naruto was truly chakra insensitive then... how was his Henge so perfect? He also had skill with Kage Bunshin like Kakashi had never seen. Of course, Kage Bunshin was designed so that it used exactly half of the user's chakra, but it took a lot of practice to make it like that. Naruto made clones left and right and not once had Kakashi seen him fail to make a clone perfectly right. Also, Naruto and his clones always had equal amounts of chakra; even when he made more clones later on, they didn't have any less chakra than the ones made earlier. Sometimes it was like Naruto could somehow balance the chakra of his clones even hours after making them.

 _Though it might be a normal Tajuu Kage Bunshin trait,_ the man mused. He knew Kage Bunshin, but according to the Hokage, Naruto had learned Tajuu Kage Bunshin from the forbidden scroll first. Kakashi himself couldn't perform the massive shadow clone art; he didn't even want to try. He simply didn't and never would have the chakra for it. _How like Naruto to start big._

Another thing which he was somewhat worried -- or puzzled -- about was Sasuke's Sharingan. He hadn't seen it himself, but he had felt it -- as a Sharingan user, he hadn't missed the small hints here and there that had marked Sasuke's Genjutsu as Sharingan-induced. Aside from the fact that the boy _could_ make such a Genjutsu, the fact that he made it with a Sharingan-based technique was worrisome. Kakashi himself only knew the basics of Sharingan Doujutsu. Sasuke had used his to some degree even better than he could have.

 _And yet Sasuke is not only twelve, but there is no way he could've learned that sort of skill. It takes a long time to master the Sharingan. That added with the time it must've taken to learn to make such Genjutsu..._ Kakashi let his thought trail away and frowned. _Sasuke... has had an active Sharingan for years. And somehow, from someone, he has gotten the training to use it as well._

There were only a handful of people capable of that these days and only two of them in Hidden Leaf. And with the first being Kakashi and Kurenai, who he knew not to have ever taught Sasuke, being the other.... _It means that there is either someone here who knows the Sharingan very well, or... or Sasuke has been taught by an outsider._

The worst thing about that thought was the fact that Sasuke did act like he had gotten formal training. It was general little things: the way he fought, the tantou he carried and how he used it, the things he did... the way he herded Sakura and Naruto around without much effort. They were all skills of someone with experience Sasuke wasn't supposed to have. _That boy grows more and more worrisome by the minute._

"The Hokage will see you now," Iruka said, startling Kakashi out of his thoughts. The silver-haired Jounin nodded and headed forward, wondering what to tell him. He decided to keep his worries about Sasuke to himself for now and concentrate on Naruto. Unlike Sasuke's possible history of being trained, Naruto's chakra insensitivity was an actual pressing problem.

"You're late, Kakashi. It shouldn't have taken you this long to transport Tazuna to Wave and return back here," the leader of their village said as way of greeting him. "I've been at the brink of sending people after you for better part of two weeks."

"Ah, well... to my sorrow I must inform you, sir, that I am living through interesting times," Kakashi said, sighing. The Hokage gave him a curious look and with another sigh, Kakashi began to give a brief verbal report about Tazuna, about the mission proving to be more than a mere C rank, about the Demon Brothers, about Momochi Zabuza and about Gatou. The Hokage listened with calm interest, frowning here and there, but not seeming too worried.

"Since you're here and you haven't yet informed me that your students have been hospitalised, I suspect it all went well?" the man merely asked.

"As well as such a situation can," Kakashi murmured and explained the battle at the bridge and what had happened in a rather generic manner, not wanting to bring up Sasuke's unorthodox use of Genjutsu. "In all honesty, we could've returned two weeks earlier than we did, but I thought it would be best to take some time off and help my kids deal with the whole thing. I can't say any of them handled the battle with excellent grace -- Sasuke and Naruto needed a little... counselling."

The older Shinobi raised his eyebrows with surprise. "Well, well, well. Kakashi, you impress me. I wouldn't have thought you would see to the mental needs of your students," he said.

"It was either that or letting them fight it out of their system. After Naruto broke Sasuke's nose I thought that non-violent methods might be better." Kakashi sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I take it you don't disapprove, then, Hokage-sama?"

"Not at all. If anything, you probably should've taken more time." The Hokage snorted, leaning back and fishing through his desk for his pipe. "If Naruto needs something, it's counselling, and I don't think it would go amiss with Sasuke either. No one has really been looking after those boys in a long time after all. They can use all the guidance they can get at this point." He found the pipe and spent a moment fiddling with it. "Was there something else?"

"Yes, sir." Kakashi nodded. He explained Sasuke's Sharingan activating during the battle, neither implying nor denying that it probably hadn't been the first time. The Hokage didn't look too surprised. He just nodded and said that he'd trust Kakashi's judgement in this case to train Sasuke in its use. Then, finally, Kakashi came to the most pressing subject. "While I was still recovering from the first battle, I had my students training with chakra control. During that time, Sasuke discovered that Naruto might be chakra insensitive. So, with your permission, I would like Naruto to see a chakra specialist to see if there's anything..." he trailed away with confusion when the Hokage lifted his hand to silence him.

"Ah… that. There's nothing that can be done about that," the Hokage said and Kakashi blinked. The old man didn't look surprised; if anything he looked like he had already known. "Is the insensitivity an issue? I have reports that Naruto is capable of moulding his chakra, though he lacks precise control."

"He can, of course. He even has adopted a signature Ninjutsu, one could say, but... you knew this before?" Kakashi asked confusedly.

"Naruto has been insensitive since infancy." The man nodded, frowning. "It was a treatment he had to go through in order to survive."

"Treatment?" Kakashi blinked. "You mean it was done _intentionally_?"

The Hokage sighed, rubbing his eyes. "A human being can't stand demon chakra under normal circumstances," he said heavily. "It's too volatile and too wild. Too spicy if you will. Inside a grown man a demon's chakra would surely kill him. It's no healthier for a baby, of course, but babies can adapt due to the fact that their chakra circulatory system isn't yet set. However, even before the system solidifies, the demon chakra is still very difficult to bear. I do not know how other Jinchuuriki are affected, but I suspect even they do not have an easy time with demon chakra inside them. And Naruto… well. The Kyuubi's chakra is so powerful that its mere presence in a human's chakra coils is extremely painful."

Kakashi opened his mouth and then closed it. He had never considered that scenario before. But of course, it would be something like that. Even though it had been so many years since the Kyuubi attack, he could still remember. A few ninja had been… grabbed by the Kyuubi's chakra when they had been holding the beast off, waiting for the Fourth. The men who had been sucked inside the chakra had all screamed in agony even if they had been completely unhurt otherwise. That same chakra, inside a child….

The Third Hokage sighed before sucking a lungful of smoke through his pipe. "Naruto was made chakra insensitive only a few hours after the sealing. It was done for his sake. Before the process..." he trailed away and frowned darkly. "Well. He would've died from the pain. If not, then he would've surely gone insane."

"Right," the Jounin murmured with a frown. The knowledge put his mind to rest -- it was better for Naruto to be insensitive than in constant pain due to the Kyuubi. But how the hell was he supposed explain this to Sasuke and Sakura? They didn't know about the Kyuubi and probably wouldn't find out about it for many years. _Well, Naruto knows about the beast. It might be best to leave inventing excuses to him, as he needs to live by them._

"But if Naruto was chakra insensitive from the start, why did you let him go to the Academy?" he asked after a moment of thought.

"He wanted to. I didn't argue against his wishes because history has shown that Jinchuuriki have exceptional ability to overcome all sorts of weaknesses," the Hokage answered. "Jinchuuriki often make excellent Shinobi -- one way or another -- despite their disadvantages. Of course, there was always a chance that Naruto might never be able to perform as well as a regular Shinobi. I was prepared for that eventuality, but… he overcame his handicap, didn't he? And quite well too."

Kakashi smiled grimly. If it was true, then Naruto had indeed overcome the handicap. But how? How did one mould chakra without feeling it? Even if Naruto's chakra coils were always overflowing with chakra, it didn't explain everything. "Is it still possible to have Naruto see a chakra specialist?" he asked, looking up. "Even if nothing can and should be done about it, the kids will probably want an official statement."

"You mean Sasuke," the Hokage murmured and chuckled. "Very well, I'll arrange an appointment. Also, Kakashi…" He hesitated for a moment, fiddling the pipe in his hand. "Do send Naruto to me when he has rested and has the time. I need to tell him a few things."

"A few… things, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked with barely concealed worry.

"About… that night. And about his parents," the old man answered, lifting the pipe to his lips. "I think he is old enough to know. Unless you object, of course."

For a moment Kakashi seriously considered objecting. But then he thought of Sasuke and Naruto and what would probably ensue if they found out that he had been withholding that information from them. He had only recently started taking his team and their potential seriously. It was better not to muck it up before they had even gotten started. "I'll send him to you, sir. Will tomorrow work? I think the three of them will be busy getting Sasuke fixed up today. He got his nose broken pretty badly."

The old man chuckled. "I can't wait to read your report about that," he murmured and nodded. "Tomorrow works. I should have word about the chakra specialist then too."

 

* * *

 

 

"Does it hurt at all?" Sakura asked anxiously as they headed towards Naruto's favourite ramen stand. Sasuke's nose was no longer in bandages but despite two different doctors and one medic ninja having a look at it, they hadn't been able to make it as good as new. The swelling was gone, as was the bleeding, but the general area was still red and… and crooked. "Maybe we should go back and let someone else have a look --"

"It's fine," Sasuke said, dismissing her concerns with a shake of his head. "It's not bleeding and I can breathe. That's good enough for me."

"But… but…" Sakura gave him a helpless look. _But it's red! And crooked!_ she moaned mentally. She hadn't given Sasuke's nose that much thought before -- aside from the fact that it fit Sasuke's otherwise exquisitely handsome face perfectly. Now, though… "But couldn't you at least see if someone can straighten it?"

"Sakura. They finally managed to make it stop bleeding -- and I can breathe without sounding like a whistle," Sasuke said with little more force. "I will not risk that for a straighter nose."

"But…!"

"Leave him be, Sakura," Naruto, who was walking a few steps ahead of them, said, laughing. He glanced at them over his shoulder and grinned. "I bet he's relieved to have an ugly nose. Maybe some of his fangirls will give him a break now; eh, Sasuke?"

"It's not ugly," Sakura immediately countered, though it was more due to the principle of defending Sasuke and all parts of him rather than because it was the truth, because it wasn't. It was ugly. _Gods, I hope it will look a little better when it's not so red,_ she thought, glancing at Sasuke and at the bridge of his nose, where the previously straight bone had a sudden bump. She grimaced, wishing they could return to Wave. She wanted to beat that stupid doctor so badly. "Well, maybe it can be fixed later on?" she mused. "With surgery maybe?"

"Leave it," Sasuke said to her. "It's fine as it is."

 _No it isn't,_ Sakura whimpered, giving him a helpless look. Then she sighed as he merely glared at her. "Fine," she said. "But I can't promise not to whine about it later on." _I wonder if there's Ijutsu to fix broken noses… probably. I need to find out._

"Suit yourself," the dark-haired boy said and looked ahead as they arrived at the ramen shop. "Just don't expect me to listen."

Naruto bounced ahead of them, cheerily greeting the owner and his daughter and ordering some ramen -- for all three of them. For a moment Sakura wanted to say that she didn't want pork, but decided against it. She was hungry and after eating nothing but field rations during the journey from Wave to the Hidden Leaf, some actually warm food sounded good. _Naruto is going to turn all of us into fatsos,_ she thought miserably before catching the smell of the ramen. _Oh, that doesn't smell so bad…_

She tentatively took the chopsticks offered and snapped them apart before trying the ramen. It was delicious. _There was nothing wrong with Tsunami's cooking, but they were always eating fish,_ she thought while contemplating the first mouthful. _You get tired of that sort of food pretty soon… hmm… I think I know why Naruto likes this place…._

She trailed away, glancing at the blond, who was already in the midst of a rapid conversation with the ramen makers, explaining about their mission. She opened her mouth to say that Naruto shouldn't be saying anything -- Shinobi work at higher levels was classified and their mission _had been_ a high level one. Then, after moment of listening, she blinked.

"…And you should've seen it, it was amazing," Naruto explained around a mouthful of ramen, most of which was half spilling out. He was demonstrating something with the hand holding chopsticks and beside him Sasuke absently avoided being hit. "It went like this, and _this_ and then Kakashi-sensei was all _your future is death_ and… oh, man, you should've been there! And then this masked kid came, with these needles, you know, and then…."

Sakura grinned awkwardly. Most of the explanation was true and she could almost connect the wild hand motions and the haphazard tale to actual events. However, Naruto was the worst storyteller imaginable, and what he was saying made very little sense. The only way for the tale to make sense was to have been there in the first place. _Well, that's one way of keeping secrets I suppose,_ she mused and returned her eyes to the ramen.

"Well, you're a lively bunch," Kakashi-sensei's voice said from behind them, almost making her choke on the ramen. "I'll have a bowl too, whatever they're having is fine," the man said while sitting down on the free chair next to Naruto. "Thanks."

Sakura glanced at their teacher with confusion. Kakashi never spent time with them aside from the missions they did. Well, at least he hadn't before Wave. She frowned slightly, thinking back to their last two weeks at the island. Kakashi had been almost disturbingly intent on spending time with them in the last weeks after the fight. And not just with Naruto and Sasuke, but with her too.

 _That "reason for living" stuff,_ she mused somehow uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if Naruto or Sasuke had figured out their reasons for living, their reasons to wake up the morning after the world's end. She hadn't figured out her own, not even with Kakashi's help. She had really tried; she had even meditated on it few times, but it hadn't helped. If the world was destroyed that day, she'd be dead, right? She wouldn't be able to wake up the following morning…

"For now, just concentrate on the things you enjoy," Kakashi had said. "I've noticed you're intent on taking care of your looks. If makeup and hairdressing is it, then spend as much time at it as you like outside training and missions of course. If it's idolizing Sasuke, then idolize him. Until you figure out an actual drive, just do things you enjoy doing."

It hadn't been an exactly satisfying solution, not after how important Kakashi had made the whole thing seem. _I bet with Naruto it's the Hokage thing,_ she thought almost jealously. Naruto's dream was a bit over the top, but Naruto's stubbornness about it was almost admirable. And she didn't have anything like it. _For Sasuke… maybe it's his clan…._

And what did she have? She was too realistic to dream of becoming Hokage. She didn't want to, either; it seemed like a whole lot of trouble and responsibility and she didn't need to even think too hard to know that she wasn't fit for it. And, coming from a civilian family, her family would never be a real motivation for being a ninja. They had supported her to some extent, but underneath it all she knew they were hoping, even waiting, for her to get tired of it and choose a civilian life instead.

Sakura turned the chopsticks in her hands and glanced at Sasuke. He couldn't be her reason either, she knew now. He had once been her reason for becoming a ninja. All she had wanted, all she had dreamed. But now that she actually knew him… she knew Sasuke was a foolish dream to have. Even if one day he decided to date for some other reason than solely to create progeny -- which she, against all her wishes and dreams and hopes, doubted -- he wouldn't settle for a fangirl. And dreaming of such a small chance would only cheapen it should it ever actually happen.

She still adored Sasuke. Probably always would. But she needed to give it up if she wished to ever have any chance. _And…_ She smiled sadly. _And maybe now that I have his friendship… sort of… I shouldn't waste it._

No, Sasuke couldn't be her reason for waking up after the world's end, not now and probably not ever. It needed to be something else. Something… much less shallow. _And_ , she thought glancing at Kakashi, _something much more personal._ Naruto wanted to be Hokage. Sasuke wanted to restart his clan. Kakashi… kept the dead informed. Naruto's reason was stupid, Sasuke's practical, and Kakashi's rather orthodox. But they were all personal. What did she have?

 _It will come to me_ , she thought and stirred her ramen before gathering some noodles with the chopsticks. _It won't help it if I try to force it. For now, just relax and enjoy the moment. And the surprisingly good ramen._

When Sakura looked up, Kakashi's bowl was already empty and Naruto looked rather confused, looking between the empty bowl and Kakashi. "Well, that was delicious," the Jounin said while paying for the food. "And now I think I should be off. Naruto, the Hokage wants to see you tomorrow. Aside from that, you three can have a day off tomorrow. Bye now."

"Wha --?" Naruto started to ask, but their teacher was already gone. "What the heck? He didn't even tell me why the old man wants to see me!"

"Maybe he wants to hand over the hat?" Sakura piped up with a grin.

"If only." Naruto snorted and narrowed his eyes. "I bet Kakashi told him I beat up Sasuke and now the old man is going to give me a lecture. Maybe I should skip."

"Or it might be about the chakra insensitivity, which would make skipping rather stupid and harmful," Sasuke said calmly while finishing his own bowl. "I think I will head off too. I need to restock my kitchen."

"Oh, I should probably do that too," Naruto muttered while paying for their ramen. "All my stuff has probably gone bad and mouldy after we've been gone so long. I'll come with you."

"I'll see you guys tomorrow?" Sakura asked. She wished she could've gone with them for shopping -- it sounded like fun -- but she knew she ought to go home. It had been weeks since she had seen her parents after all. "I could come over to the Uchiha Compound later on…?"

"See you tomorrow then, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, waving at her as he headed after Sasuke, who merely shrugged. Coming from him, that was as good as a yes.

Sakura waved after them before turning to head home. _Hmm... maybe I will find my motivation there,_ she wondered while stretching and hoisting her travel bag to her shoulder. _I wonder what Ino-Pig's reason is... if she even has one._

 

* * *

 

 

It was somehow strange to wake up without Sasuke and Kakashi there, knowing that he wouldn't have breakfast with them and Sakura. In the previous weeks, every day had started with them and ended with them. It had been… nice. Naruto didn't dare to think of what it had been _like_ , not wanting to ruin it by making a comparison with what ifs and such, but it had been nice. Training with them daily and spending the afternoons watching the great bridge being built… was nice.

 _Well, it's not like it will never happen again,_ he thought, kicking off the bedcovers and sitting up with a stretch. There would be other missions, of course. Awesome missions where they'd all be awesome. And hopefully where Sasuke wouldn't get it into his head to play teacher. Sasuke knew stuff, sure, and Naruto had learned more from him than he ever had from the academy, but if his lessons were like the one on the bridge, Naruto prayed to the gods Sasuke would never become an actual teacher. The kids he'd teach would go crazy.

After frowning for a moment at the memory of the Genjutsu and Haku, Naruto determinately shook it out of his head. _Lesson learned,_ he thought. He wouldn't forget. No, he'd never forget, Sasuke had made sure of that. _Time to move on. Yup._ But he wouldn't wallow either.

After cleaning up, eating, and putting on some clothes, he quickly left the apartment. Kakashi had given them a day off, sort of, which was awesome. They could spend it training and going through the Uchiha library like back before the Wave mission. But before he could head down to the Uchiha District, he needed to see the old man Hokage about the chakra insensitivity stuff. He still didn't consider it that big of a problem; actually, he considered it less of a problem than before. Sasuke had made it seem so huge, but Naruto had learned how to climb a tree anyway. And with Sakura's help, he'd soon learn how to walk on water too!

 _I'd better not say it to Sasuke, but I think he's a bit bipolar,_ Naruto thought while running towards the Hokage tower. Sasuke had gone from being an annoying brooding asshole into a weird… teammate in one day and then had become a sort of teacher -- or tutor, as he'd make a creepy teacher. He'd even included Sakura, after all the time acting like there was nothing more annoying than Ino and Sakura and rest of the fangirls! And then on the mission he threw a fit over the chakra control thingy and then the whole Genjutsu thing… _Okay. Not bipolar. Just plain weird._

He frowned to himself while swiftly going around a civilian walking across the street. Sasuke had always seemed levelheaded and, in a way, trustworthy. In the academy there had been a few things the students had been able to trust and Sasuke excelling in everything had been one of those. The perfect Uchiha heir, genius of an incredible family…. _He… doesn't seem too perfect anymore,_ Naruto mused with a twinge of worry. _Or… or levelheaded._

Before, Naruto would've trusted just about anything Sasuke said. If Sasuke had told him to jump off a bridge, he might've hesitated, but he would've trusted that there was a good reason. Now… now there was no way Naruto would've jumped. Not without clear proof that it was a good idea and that he'd survive. _Well, he doesn't seem like a guy who could get people killed, but… geez…._ The thing he had done with Haku wasn't exactly any better.

The blond Genin looked up as he came to the foot of the tower and slowed down. Sasuke had promised never to do it again, and in a way Naruto believed him… but he also doubted. He didn't want to. Sasuke was a friend and teammate, but after what had happened, he couldn't help it. Until Sasuke proved himself… he would doubt.

 _Aah, not thinking about it right now. I'm going to talk to the old man with the magnificent hat. I'll think about bipolar bastards later._ He nodded to himself before starting to race up the stairs towards the upper levels from where he could get to the Hokage's office.  _Yep! Oh, maybe Konohamaru is here! I want to tell him all about our mission…._ Thinking about it, he almost ran into a Chuunin walking down the stairs.

"Oi, Naruto," Iruka, who only barely managed to keep hold of the papers he had been carrying, called. "What are you doing here -- and where are you going in such a rush?"

"Hi, Iruka-sensei! I'm going to see the old man. Kakashi-sensei said he wanted to see me," the blond said.

"Ah, alright. Do you have time later on? We could maybe go get some ramen," the Chuunin offered with a smile. "I want to hear about the mission. Kakashi-sensei said there were some complications."

"Well… yeah, I guess." Naruto scratched the back of his head. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about the mission with Iruka. His teacher was always so perceptive that he would notice all sorts of things and then say this and that and make the whole thing into either a lesson or a lecture -- not that Naruto minded, but the whole Genjutsu thing was something he wanted to figure out on his own. "Well, I could catch you after I've seen the old man. Where're you going, anyway?"

"To the academy. You should be able to find me there," the teacher said.

"Alright. See you then!" Naruto said and continued climbing up the stairs. _Maybe I just won't mention the Genjutsu to him_.

He found the Hokage in the old man's office, reading some important-looking scroll and smoking his pipe. Naruto bounced into the room with vigour, happy to see the old man and also a little annoyed about being called like that. After all, for him, being called to the Hokage tower usually meant a lecture or punishment and that he had generally done something wrong and the Hokage was _very disappointed with him,_ which was just agonizing to see. No one could guilt-trip you like the old man.

"I'm here, you geezer! Whaddya want?" Naruto asked with more bravery than he felt. "And, uh, if it's about Sasuke's nose, he was totally asking for it! Well, not asking for it… but he deserved it!"

The Third Hokage looked up from the scroll and laughed at him. "It's alright, Naruto. I read your teacher's report. You're not going to be admonished for that," he said, swiftly rolling the scroll and tying it with a piece of red string. "Also, judging by the report, you did pretty well on the mission, considering that it was an A-rank."

"Huh? But wasn't it a C-rank -- no wait. S-class missing-nin. Right. A-rank," Naruto murmured. Kakashi had said something like that after the first fight, where he and Sasuke had been awesome. And not only had they beaten those demon brother guys but they had sort of beaten Zabuza at his own game and saved Kakashi from that water prison thingy. "Damn right we did well." He nodded with pride.

The Hokage smiled, leaning his elbows on the edge of his desk while leaning forward. "I also hear that you discovered some problems with your chakra control."

"Yeah, that insensitivity thing." Naruto nodded. "Sasuke threw a fit about it. I don't see how it's important."

"Well, for a normal ninja it would be a disabling handicap, so I can see why he would be worried about it. Anyone would be, if they'd found that they themselves or someone they knew had such an ailment," the old man answered, leaning back again and breathing in through his pipe. "There are currently only three active ninja working in Konoha’s ranks with disabling difficulties with chakra. None of them has a handicap as severe as yours but the ones they do have will prevent them from ever reaching a rank above Chuunin, because they cannot mould chakra properly."

Naruto blinked, his eyes widening. "You mean I can't ever become Jounin? That's unfair!"

The Hokage laughed. "No, no, that's not what I'm saying at all," he denied, shaking his head. "What I mean is that a normal ninja with this sort of difficulty wouldn't be able to mould chakra. They wouldn't be able to use Ninjutsu or use chakra to defy gravity in the manner Kakashi taught you. But you can despite having the disability. Do you know why?"

"Um… Sasuke said it's because I have a lot of chakra, that I'm using it even though I don't really notice," Naruto answered, scratching his head absently. "Something about my chakra coils being filled all the time."

"Yes, that is also the reason why you have the insensitivity in the first place," the old man said while standing up. His robes rustled against the floor as he walked around the desk and then towards the door. "Come with me, Naruto. There is something I want to show you."

Naruto frowned, but followed the old man out of the room. How did having chakra coils filled with chakra lead to insensitivity? Did that mean all Shinobi lost their ability to feel chakra if they used it too much? It made no sense. The old man was _ancient_ but Naruto knew for a fact he could still do Ninjutsu. He had gotten himself trapped in earth-based jutsu by the old man enough times to know that.

"So, what is that you wanna show me?" Naruto asked. "It's not some sort of chart about chakra coils or something, is it? Because Sasuke already told me more about them than I wanted to know."

"No, that's not it. This is a bit more important," the Third Hokage answered and glanced at him. "This is also top secret, so what I am about to tell and show you, you ought to keep to yourself. Do you understand?"

"Eh, I don't know what about my poor chakra control could be top secret --" Naruto trailed away as he remembered something. "Aw, man." He sighed, lifting his hands and crossing them behind his neck. _It's about the fox,_ he thought with dismay and looked ahead. They were going to the storage rooms, where the scrolls were kept. _I hope he's not going to make me read some history book or something like the last time…._ It had been pretty annoying to reread the history of the Kyuubi just after finding out that he housed the fox. It had been informing, sure, and a lot of things had made sense afterwards, but it had also been rather unnerving and annoying.

"Here we are," the Hokage said, taking out a key and unlocking one of the storage room doors before pushing the door open. It was dark and dusty inside, and when the man clicked the light switch on, the light flickered and almost went out immediately after being turned on. By the look and smell of it, no one had been in the room in a while. "This is where some very special scrolls are being held. Come on."

"It smells dusty," Naruto murmured, looking around. The room was filled with shelves full of scrolls of different sizes, all bound tightly. There was nothing else in the entire room but shelves and scrolls. "You know I'm not the reading type, old man."

"These are all storage scrolls. They hold things inside them, weapons, items… It's something you can do if you are skilled enough with the sealing arts," the Hokage said while starting to pull out scrolls from one of the shelves. One, two, three of them, all the same size and design and although Naruto was no expert on scrolls, even he could tell that they had been made with care and skill. And, by the looks of it, no one had touched them in a while. With them in hand, the old man turned to him and smiled sadly. "These scrolls hold all the worldly possessions of my deceased successor, the Fourth Hokage, and his fiancée."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the three scrolls with renewed interest. "Like… their furniture and stuff?" he asked awkwardly. He hadn't even known the Fourth had had a fiancée.

"And their clothes and bedding." The Hokage grinned, kneeling down on the wooden floor. "And the many other personal belongings a person gathers throughout their life. They also hold the Fourth's library and his fiancée's weapon collection."

"His woman collected weapons? Creepy, but I suppose a kick-ass guy like the Fourth ought to have a kick-ass woman too," Naruto said, giving the scrolls a little worried look as the Third started unbinding the straps holding them shut. "Why are you showing these to me? What does this have to with my chakra insensitivity?"

The Hokage smiled sadly and Naruto got a very bad feeling. "Naruto, I think it's time I told you what really happened the night you were born," the old man said, and pushed the scrolls so that they rolled open across the floor.

 

* * *

 

 

The Hokage sighed, looking up as the belongings of Naruto's family appeared from the scroll. There wasn't much of them. There were a few boxes and crates and a couple of bags along with what little had survived of their furniture. Minato's house had been one of the estates that had suffered the brunt of the Kyuubi's anger. What the Hokage himself had later stored into the scrolls was mostly what they had managed to find from the wreckage. Some of the things they had had to throw away and some, though stored, were in poor repair.

"A lot of houses were ruined in the Kyuubi attack. The Fourth's house was one of them -- most of that district has since been rebuilt," the Hokage said while sitting down on the floor into a more comfortable position. "This is all we could save from the ruins. The Fourth's library was saved mostly because he had shields protecting it from theft -- it saved the scrolls and books from being ruined -- and of course his fiancée's weapons barely suffered when the house collapsed… weapons are meant to be durable after all."

He watched somewhat sadly while Naruto wandered around the boxes with a look of confused wonder in his eyes. "I'm still not getting why you're showing this stuff to me," the boy said, stopping by a cradle and looking down at it with confusion. "Why'd they have a crib? I've never heard of the Fourth having kids."

And this was the reason why it was so damned hard to tell the boy. Because Naruto was looking at him in puzzlement, not even thinking of trying to make the connection, not even trying. Because to Naruto… it was unbelievable. It was mostly his fault, the Hokage knew. He had let things get too far, too bad. Naruto had been belittled so harshly that he didn't even fantasize about family, didn't even care about thinking what it would be like to have parents. For Naruto, it was just one of those things he didn't have, and that was that.

"You found out about the Kyuubi being inside you some months ago," the Hokage said softly, sadly. "Didn't you wonder why he chose _you_?"

"I just figured I was the only kid born that day." Naruto shrugged.

"You weren't. Two others were born a little earlier that day, and even a month old baby would've done," the Hokage said. "Chakra coils only develop fully when the baby is past two months of age, after that the sealing is impossible. Many of your classmates were born within that span of time before the attack and were thus suitable for the sealing, but none of them were chosen. Instead it was you. Why?"

Naruto didn't answer, merely stared at him silently, seriously, neither guessing nor asking. The Hokage smiled, a little painfully. "Because he couldn't ask anyone to make a sacrifice he himself couldn't bear to do," he answered. "He was your father."

Naruto frowned, but didn't answer. The Hokage sighed and continued. "Also, he couldn't trust anyone but his own son to guard the Kyuubi's chakra and keep it at bay. People like you can become monsters, Naruto. They can be used as weapons, as tools in battles and wars. He could neither ask nor trust someone he didn't know to do the right thing with the power a demon's chakra can bestow. You were his legacy, Naruto, in many ways. This," he motioned around the room, "isn't even a fraction of what he left to you. I, though… was never entitled to keep the rest."

Naruto let out an odd hiss, making the Hokage quiet down. The boy was staring at the crib. "He was… my father. The Fourth…" Naruto murmured in a tone of voice the Hokage had never heard from the boy. "His name, what was his name?"

"Namikaze Minato. Your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina. She died of complications from giving birth…"

The boy mouthed the names silently, staring at the crib. Sarutobi almost regretted the fact that in Konoha, and just about everywhere, the Kages were hallowed to the point where they became their titles and people rarely even knew their names, not to even mention speaking them out loud. The academy, too, probably taught only about the _Fourth Hokage_ and not about _Namikaze Minato_. In all likelihood, this was the first time Naruto had ever heard the name of the Fourth Hokage.

After a while of silence, Naruto looked up with gleaming eyes. "Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked, no, demanded to know. "Why didn't…. Why have I never heard of it? It's like _no one_ …" he trailed away. "No one knows," he said softly, a look of realisation on his face. "It's kept a secret. Like the Kyuubi, it's kept a secret. _Why_?"

"Your father had many enemies. If you'd had paid more attention to the history of the Third Great Shinobi War, you'd know that your father made quite the name for himself on those battlefields. In the Hidden Cloud they still tell scary stories about him to young ninja." The old Hokage chuckled sadly. "The relationship the Leaf has with Cloud are strained at best. Should they know the Fourth's son survives… well… I imagine they would've tried to assassinate you."

Naruto digested that bit of information before asking in a somewhat choked tone, "What does this have to do with my chakra insensitivity?" He sounded oddly lost, like someone trying to crawl back to the original subject because the new one confused him too much. Or hurt him too much.

"Your father did a remarkable job at sealing the demon fox's chakra in you, but even he couldn't prevent the pain of withstanding the chakra. I had a medic-nin disable you, make you unable to feel the chakra flowing inside your coils, so that you could live your life without the pain of having that demonic energy inside you," the Hokage answered.

"You could've told me that without telling me _this_ ," Naruto murmured, slowly falling to his knees beside the old crib, holding onto its wooden frames for support. "I would've gotten it without knowing _this_."

"But… aren't you happier knowing who your parents were?" the Hokage asked softly.

Naruto turned pained eyes to him, and even without the experience of being a father, a grandfather, and the leader of a village of too many tragic tales, the Hokage could have read the agonised wishes and what ifs and could-have-beens behind them. Naruto's fingernails scraped against the crib as he pulled it near, like trying to get closer to the past and family he had never had -- and the childhood that the Kyuubi attack had denied him. The boy opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is very much abandoned and dead, may it rest in peace.


End file.
